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Phoenix Suns News

Rockets' Goran Dragic prepares for third reunion with Suns
February 3
Arizona Republic
 
"It has been nearly a year since Goran Dragic was awakened by Steve Nash on a Suns team flight and told that he had been traded. It seemed like a joke, like when Nash converted Leandro Barbosa into an Avatar to wake up Robin Lopez on a flight for a video. But it was the stark truth and it felt like a separation from the only American family the Slovenian had. Dragic missed Phoenix, but let it go quickly last year to finish strongly with Houston in a season that his struggles reflected the Suns' bench problems. Dragic would like to make a better showing against the Suns than in two post-trade meetings last season, when he did not make a shot in 20 minutes, and show how he feels he is in a"
Hornets falter against the Phoenix Suns in a 120-103 setback
February 2
New Orleans Times-Picayune
 
"Despite entering Wednesday night's game with 17 losses in the past 19 games, the Hornets showed a drive to start off a new month with better execution. They tried, and they achieved their highest scoring first half of the season, but it wasn't enough to save the Hornets from a 120-103 defeat to the Phoenix Suns in front of 13,598 at the New Orleans Arena. Similar to several losses this season, the Hornets lacked a closer down the stretch. When New Orleans (4-18) had a chance to tie the score at 94 with 7:13 remaining, backup point guard Greivis Vasquez missed a layup. After the missed shot, Phoenix went on a 9-0 run that ultimately put the game out of reach."
Veteran Michael Redd working to get more comfortable in Phoenix Suns system
February 2
Arizona Republic
 
"Just changing NBA addresses was enough of a jolt to Michael Redd's career. After 11 years with Milwaukee, it turns out that joining the Suns was not the end of his new NBA reality. Redd still is in a comeback phase, having played nearly as many games for the Suns as he did for Milwaukee last season (10) when he returned from his second knee surgery. Redd received spot or mop-up duty in the previous four games but was not part of the first-half mix Wednesday night. Redd, 32, was signed to bolster the Suns' shooting and scoring abilities but has not shot well and has been targeted defensively. "I'm getting more comfortable the more I'm out there," Redd said. "I've just got to play to get"
Phoenix Suns' Steve Nash breaks franchise career assists record
February 2
Arizona Republic
 
"Suns point guard Steve Nash set the franchise career assists record Wednesday night in New Orleans on a night that has been more about his scoring. Nash needed seven assists entering Wednesday night to pass Kevin Johnson's franchise record of 6,518 assists but only had two at halftime because New Orleans' defense turned him into a shooter. Nash, who sat out Monday's game with a thigh bruise, scored 19 points in the first half but dished assists on the first three Suns possessions of the second half."
Steve Nash leads Phoenix Suns over New Orleans Hornets
February 2
Arizona Republic
 
"Six-thousand, five-hundred and twenty-two assists for the Suns later, Steve Nash's night was put on ice. The glory of the Suns laid on a training table with ice packs here and there, but not on the hot hands that torched New Orleans on a landmark Wednesday night. If Monday's absence to a thigh bruise was a reminder that Nash's 38th birthday is Tuesday, Nash's 30-point, 10-assist, one-turnover game was a reminder of his age-defying magnificence in a 120-103 Suns win at a half-empty New Orleans Arena."
Phoenix Suns' Channing Frye struggling with shot
February 1
Arizona Republic
 
"There is plenty of advice coming from the US Airways Center stands for Suns forward Channing Frye. Most of it sounds like this: "Make a shot!" Frye, in a seasonlong shooting slump, had a more willing ear for a front-row fan Monday night. "Just shoot it and stop aiming it," his former Arizona Wildcats coach, Lute Olson, told him with a hug. It was as good as the advice he got at home -- when he was texting, reading tweets, eating, watching TV and playing with his 1-year-old son simultaneously. His wife, Lauren, said, "Stop and look at everything you're doing ... You do too much and think too much.""
Suns' Josh Childress works way back into rotation
January 31
Arizona Republic
 
"One positive movement for one positive player came out of the rubble of negativity Friday night at Portland. The Suns' third-most-lopsided defeat in franchise history went so awry that it got swingman Josh Childress back on the floor. Those 16 minutes led to a real role in the rotation against Memphis on Saturday night, one that might stick. Childress maintained his congenial way as a supportive locker-room figure throughout the nine consecutive games in which he did not play. He fell out of the rotation after the first four games of the season and made one six-minute appearance over the next 13 games."
Without Steve Nash, Suns punished by Mavericks
January 31
Arizona Republic
 
"It was a late January night two years ago when the Suns turned around their season against the visiting Dallas Mavericks. Read It took Dallas' Jason Terry calling out the Suns defense on a TNT halftime interview and Suns coach Alvin Gentry going without Amar'e Stoudemire and Jason Richardson in the fourth quarter for the Suns to win and start a 28-7 close to a season that ended with a conference-finals run. That was the last time Phoenix has beaten Dallas, in eight tries. Now national television doesn't want the Suns. Gentry had to be the one to call out the defense at halftime on this late January night. And if going without the since-departed Stoudemire and Richardson had not been enough"
Mavs blow out the Nash-less Suns
January 31
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
 
"Rick Carlisle didn't get too carried away with Monday's 122-99 win over the Phoenix Suns. Sure, the Dallas Mavericks shot a spectacular 55.2 percent from the field and tallied a season high in points. But when the Mavs found out that a left thigh contusion would keep Suns point guard Steve Nash on the sidelines, the Mavs knew that was a huge advantage in their favor. The Mavs used that advantage to their advantage en route to pounding the Suns, 122-99, before 13,132 at US Airways Center. "We caught a break with Nash not playing,'' Carlisle, the Mavs' coach, said. "I don't think you can overlook that as a big factor in the game, but we played."
Hot start leads to big win, highest-scoring half of the season for streaking Mavericks
January 31
Dallas Morning News
 
"Last Thursday, after going through his first full practice since missing five games with a sprained foot, Mavericks forward Vince Carter made it a point to shake the hands of three Mavericks assistants who remained after practice to put him through extra drills. How many pro athletes do that, never mind a 35-year-old veteran? On Monday night, Carter further showed his gratitude by scoring 15 first-half points against Phoenix, including 3-of-4 shooting on 3-pointers."
Delonte West scores season-high 25 to shoot Mavericks past Suns
January 31
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
 
"There's been a lot of discussions about Rodrigue Beaubois picking up the slack at point guard in the absence of the injured Jason Kidd. Delonte West showed why no one should forget about him, either. West poured in a season-high 25 points Monday night at US Airways Arena as the Dallas Mavericks rolled over the Phoenix Suns 122-99. In his second game back after sitting out Friday's game against Utah with a strained right calf, West made 9 of 12 shots, including 5 of 6 baskets from beyond the 3-point arc. West provided some excitement when he scored underneath the basket at the halftime buzzer, then drilled an 18-footer with 0.4 seconds left on the third-quarter clock to give the Mavs a"
Suns' Steve Nash (thigh) questionable vs. Mavericks
January 30
Arizona Republic
 
"Suns point guard Steve Nash healed from one thigh bruise and resumed a stretch of greatness two weeks ago. Nash will have to heal from another one to have a moment of greatness Monday. On the final play of Saturday night's 86-84 victory against Memphis, Grizzlies center Marc Gasol put a knee into Nash's left thigh while setting a screen on him. It might be enough to delay Nash from getting the seven assists he needs to break Kevin Johnson's career franchise assists record. Nash collapsed to the floor and limped off Saturday night. On Sunday, a day off for the Suns, Nash remained questionable for Monday's game against Dallas, an apropos opponent for a landmark Nash moment. Mavericks owner"
Suns' offense suffers without Steve Nash on floor
January 29
Arizona Republic
 
"When the Suns flirt with all-time offensive lows, the number of problems starts catching up with the number of points. But one consistent thing that coach Alvin Gentry feels is undermining the offense from finding any rhythm is the drop-off when Steve Nash leaves the game. It is not as pronounced in numbers this season because the team has been outscored with Nash on the floor too, albeit at a lesser rate. Gentry tweaked the rotation Saturday night against Memphis, taking Nash out sooner so that he could return and play with the second unit some. Nash had been playing all or nearly all of first quarters but he left with the Suns leading 16-9 seven minutes into the game and returned nine"
Kevin Johnson saw big-time potential in Suns' Steve Nash
January 29
Arizona Republic
 
"Kevin Johnson and Steve Nash were not just ships passing in the night. For two years in the late 1990s, the point guards were Suns teammates, passing to help win games. Few could have predicted that Nash would one day break Johnson's Suns record for career assists (6,518), but Nash can do so if he records seven assists at home Monday night against his old team, Dallas. Nash played sparingly as a rookie and remained a reserve the next year because of Johnson and Jason Kidd. Johnson saw big-time potential in Nash, a 1996 first-round pick with whom Johnson shared his final full two seasons with the Suns. "You're as good as anyone I've played against," Nash said Johnson told him at the time."
Suns bounce back, hold off Grizzlies in a home thriller
January 29
Arizona Republic
 
"No offense, Memphis, but the Suns can have trouble scoring and still win. Stinging from the 38-point beatdown they received on the previous night in Portland, the Suns bit back to beat Memphis 86-84 Saturday night at US Airways Center despite shooting only 36.4 percent from the field. The Suns have not shot worse in a victory since Jan. 23, 2009, when they shot 36.0 percent and still won by 22 at Charlotte. "We had to gut it out at the end, but after last night's embarrassment, we played with a lot of heart and found a way," guard Steve Nash said in his 700th game with the Suns. "We did a good job defensively and hung on offensively." This one was not so close. The Suns led the game by as"
Dominant Blazers exact revenge
January 28
Oregonian
 
"About 45 minutes before tipoff, Nate McMillan was grumbling about the Trail Blazers' lack of consistency, bemoaning their road woes and dissecting the fact that the lockout-shortened NBA schedule allows no practice time to fix any of the ailments. Right about then, during his pregame meeting with reporters, someone asked the Blazers coach if he had any idea when his team would put it all together. "I think we have a lot of work to do," McMillan responded. It didn't look like it Friday night. In their most complete and dominant performance of the season, the Blazers ran over, around and through the Phoenix Suns, winning 109-71 before a sellout crowd of 20,664 at the Rose Garden. The"
Trail Blazers get payback, steamroll Suns in Portland
January 28
Arizona Republic
 
"It is hard for anyone who bleeds orange to get over the fact that the Suns are even worse than last season, when they missed the playoffs. But what about how much worse they look than just three weeks ago? In testing the all-time lows in franchise offense, the Suns experienced a 63-point swing for the worse Friday night when they took a demoralizing 109-71 loss to the same Portland team they had beaten by 25 points this month. Only Charles Barkley has a worse swing than that. The Suns routed Portland 102-77 on Jan. 6 at home when the Trail Blazers were coming off a home win in Portland on the previous night. It marked the third worst margin of defeat in Suns history and edged out a"
Steve Nash on verge of team's career assists record
January 28
Arizona Republic
 
"Nobody in the 43-year history of the Suns has passed like Steve Nash, and now it will be reflected in the numbers. The spotlight has swung off the Suns amid their decline, but Nash is coming out of the darkness for yet another landmark moment -- surpassing Kevin Johnson's franchise career assists record. Nash has 6,506 career assists with the Suns entering Saturday's game vs. Memphis, putting him 13 away from breaking Johnson's record of 6,518. Johnson mentored Nash when he entered the NBA, spending two years as teammates before Johnson retired and Nash was traded to Dallas. Since his return to Phoenix, Nash has captured five NBA assists titles and is on his way to a sixth just as he will"
Ronnie Price's starting role not a new gig
January 28
Arizona Republic
 
"Ronnie Price has held this job previously, just not often. Price was a hired backup point guard during the Suns training camp but has become a starting off guard in the lineup the Suns have used for the past five games. Price got spot starts for Sacramento alongside Mike Bibby and for Utah alongside Deron Williams but never in a longer-term role like this has been. Price is not the typical shooting guard, having scored only 14 points in his first four starts. Suns coach Alvin Gentry turned to him in the starting lineup for his defense and effort. "One thing you can always control is defense and effort and competing," Price said. "You can't always control whether your shot is falling. My"
Suns' offense in tailspin as Trail Blazers await
January 27
Arizona Republic
 
"Friday, the Suns face the victim of their landmark victory of the season. Considering it was a Portland Trail Blazers team that is only tied for eighth in the Western Conference says a lot about how the Suns have wasted the season's first 17 games. If the Suns' offense resembled anything close to last season's mild decline, they would not be in this 6-11 predicament as they visit the Rose Garden . Statistically, the Suns are a defensive team, ranking better defensively for scoring, field-goal shooting and 3-point shooting than they do offensively in those categories. They now give up the seventh-fewest amount of points in the paint in the NBA, but they also score the seventh-fewest points"
Phoenix Suns' Robin Lopez suspended 1 game by NBA
January 26
Arizona Republic
 
"Suns center Robin Lopez received a one-game suspension from the league Wednesday for making contact with official Rodney Mott during the Suns' Tuesday night home loss to Toronto. The suspension will keep Lopez out of the Suns' Friday night game at Portland. Lopez's temper was stoked when he missed a second-quarter post-up attempt against Toronto's Andrea Bargnani and felt he was fouled. Lopez raced back on defense and needlessly reached in to foul big man Linas Kleiza about 40 feet from the basket before turning his ire and glare toward Mott."
It's time for the Phoenix Suns to trade Steve Nash
January 26
Arizona Republic
 columnist Dan Bickley
"The good times are gone. Empty seats weep silently. And after all these wonderful years of service, Steve Nash suddenly has become a liability. The Suns must trade him soon, before he can turn a flawed, talent-deprived team into something mediocre. No one wanted it to end this way. But after three successive home losses to Cleveland, New Jersey and Toronto, it's time to face the sobering truth. Marquee free agents won't be coming to Phoenix any time soon. The only way to spawn another contending team is through luck of the draft. And the only foreseeable reward for this awful season in progress is a place inside the NBA lottery, where the right number of ping pong balls could lead the Suns"
Phoenix Suns' starting lineup continues to shuffle
January 25
Arizona Republic
 
"In most NBA seasons, the rule of thumb is that it takes 20 games to assess a team's identity. That's just under a quarter of the 82-game schedule. The Suns played their 17th game in a compressed 66-game season Tuesday night against the Toronto Raptors. Coach Alvin Gentry and the Suns still are trying to figure out, on the fly, just who they are. During a five-game road trip the Suns navigated with mixed results, Gentry changed his starting lineup. He inserted Ronnie Price into the backcourt with Steve Nash and put Jared Dudley on the bench. And he moved rookie Markieff Morris into the frontcourt for Channing Frye. Now he's wondering if he needs to tweak it again. "I put Ronnie in because I"
Phoenix Suns winning streak vs. Toronto Raptors snapped
January 25
Arizona Republic
 
"US Airways Center officially has been declared a disaster area. Add the Toronto Raptors to a list of losing teams that includes the New Orleans Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers and New Jersey Nets that have beaten the Suns on their own floor, threatening to leave a season in rubble. The Raptors held off a torrid rally that came too late from the Suns to win 99-96 Tuesday night, dropping the Suns to 6-11 in a shortened season that doesn't leave much time to clean up the mess. "We've got to continue to work. We've got to continue to be united. We've got to continue to try to get better," Suns coach Alvin Gentry said. "That's the only thing as a coach that I know how to do."
What if Steve Nash had played with the Toronto Raptors?
January 25
Toronto Star
 
"Forget about the marketing dream it would have been with tickets bought and jerseys sold, the thought of Steve Nash ever pulling on a Raptors uniform would have made fans delirious; adding a two-time NBA MVP has a way of bestowing legitimacy on a franchise like little else does. But, alas, not only has that ship sailed, it never even got to the dock, despite the best wishes of everyone connected with the franchise. A confluence of events — the relative merits of teams in Toronto and Phoenix, the vagaries of the NBA's salary cap and collective bargaining agreement and the lack of assets necessary to acquire a player of Nash's calibre — combined to insure the best basketball player ever"
Andrea Bargnani returns, scores 36 points as Raptors defeat Suns 99-96
January 25
Toronto Star
 
"The three-pointers were silky smooth, the mid-range game was there, the engagement on the defensive end was impressive and Andrea Bargnani made a triumphant return to the Raptors here Tuesday night. It couldn't have come soon enough for coach Dwane Casey and a reeling team. Bargnani, back after a six-game injury absence, poured in a season-high 36 points as the Raptors snapped an eight-game losing streak by hanging on to beat the Phoenix Suns 99-96, their first win in the US Airways Center in eight seasons."
Phoenix Suns' Robin Lopez might explore value on open market
January 24
Arizona Republic
 
"When the Suns selected Robin Lopez 15th overall in the 2008 draft, he was considered the franchise's center of the future. His future with the Suns now appears it will be left to July free agency. The Suns have until Wednesday to come to a contract extension with Lopez but that appears unlikely. Lopez would then become a restricted free agent on July 1, meaning the Suns still could match any other team's offer sheet to him. Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby said he has had several discussions with Lopez's agent, Arn Tellem, to inquire about an extension. "We have talked to see if there was any common ground worth pursuing and I'd say it's unlikely at this time," Babby said."
Shawn Marion leads Dallas Mavericks over Phoenix Suns
January 24
Arizona Republic
 
"The Suns looked like they would have a chance at escaping the likelihood of a scheduling loss Monday night. The schedule said the Suns were doomed when they had to face the defending champion Dallas Mavericks after four other road games and 5,000 miles of traveling. Wishful thinking took over when the Suns got two days off before the game and learned that Dallas was holding out Dirk Nowitzki. Wishful thinking is no elixir for the Suns' offensive issues. The Suns shot a season-worst 37.3 percent from the field and committed 19 turnovers to let former Suns forward Shawn Marion's season-high 29 points undo them in a 93-87 Dallas victory Monday night at American Airlines Center."
Mavs ride Marion's season high 29 points past Suns
January 24
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
 
"Shawn Marion made Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle sound like a prophet. Two days after Carlisle described him as his best player, Marion poured in a season-high 29 points to pace the Mavs to a 93-87 victory over the Phoenix Suns. Marion converted 11 of 21 shots, including back-to-back 3-point baskets that gave the Mavs a 70-55 lead with 4:41 remaining in the third quarter. "Shawn was great tonight," Carlisle said. "A lot of the plays he made were ones that were very kindly -- late clock. "The 3s that he hit in the third quarter were huge. Every night we're going to need somebody to step up big, and tonight he was the big star.""
Phoenix Suns defense keys recent surge
January 23
Arizona Republic
 
"Don't hold your breath waiting for the return of the uptempo, fun-and-gun Suns offense. The shot clock might expire if you do. As much as Suns coach Alvin Gentry has implored his team to run more with the ball, winning the past two games with a total of 170 points for the first time since November 2002 just might say more about who this season's Suns are as they hit the quarter pole in Dallas Monday night."
Marcin Gortat making great strides
January 22
Arizona Republic
 
"If Boston rookie big man Greg Stiemsma had not experienced his welcome-to-the-NBA moment, he probably did not expect it to come against Suns center Marcin Gortat. There often is that regrettable yet memorable play for each young player when he discovers what an elite skill level he has entered in the NBA. On Friday night, Gortat already had scored 12 consecutive Suns first-quarter points when he received the ball on the extended post with Stiemsma on his back. Gortat's spin move to the baseline froze Stiemsma for a score. "Polish shake," Suns forward Grant Hill said in deference to the "Dream Shake" of Hakeem Olajuwon, who taught moves to Gortat for a week in June. The Suns have lacked a"
Suns seeking rise in class
January 22
Arizona Republic
 
"The Suns finally will come home to US Airways Center for a game Tuesday after 10 days away. They had better start taking advantage of their home court if they want to be a playoff team. The NBA season turns four weeks old today, roughly the end of the first quarter of the schedule, and there already is the notion among many fans that the Suns would be better off losing -- moving lower in the standings to secure a strong draft pick. That is not how the locker room or the coaches' office thinks. They are looking for a turnaround to make a playoff chase, but it has become clear early in the NBA season that the Suns will not get there without rolling at home. They have been rolling over at"
Marcin Gortat leads Phoenix Suns past Boston Celtics
January 21
Arizona Republic
 
"The Suns just needed to visit some NBA arenas where opponents are allowed to win or the tenants are playing bad basketball. The Suns' five-game losing streak has been followed by a two-game road win streak after the Suns grinded out a win Friday night that would be considered ugly if it was not so rare. The Suns downed Boston 79-71 at TD Garden, marking the first time they have won a game with fewer than 80 points since November 2002 (75-72 at Denver). The Celtics (5-9) are struggling like New York, Wednesday's victim, and were without point guard Rajon Rondo because of a wrist injury. The Suns (6-9) started this daunting five-game trip with losses at San Antonio and Chicago, which entered"
Former Phoenix Suns player Mickael Pietrus happy with better fit with Boston Celtics
January 21
Arizona Republic
 
"Mickael Pietrus is a swingman with athleticism, 3-point range and a good defensive reputation. It should have been a natural fit with the Suns, but the partnership disintegrated last season because of the team's overload of wings, his fluctuating performance and a knee issue that caused him to sit out the final 12 games. Pietrus became a locker-room deterrent to the point that Suns players said chemistry would be better if he did not return. The Suns tried to trade Pietrus when the lockout ended, but he failed a physical in Toronto because of his right knee, on which a French national-team surgeon performed an arthroscopic procedure in July. Pietrus came to Phoenix for a MRI exam on his"
Pietrus has no warm feelings for Suns
January 21
Boston Herald
 
"Mickael Pietrus has been nothing but smiles and 3-pointers in his brief time with the Celtics. Both were in short supply during his stint in Phoenix last season. Pietrus was part of a trade that sent him from Orlando to Phoenix last season and he struggled to fit in with the Suns, averaging 7.5 points on 39.2 percent shooting in 38 games. That was only the start of the problems, as his season came to a premature end when he injured his right knee in March. Pietrus didn't undergo arthroscopic surgery on his knee until July, when it was recommended by the French national team's medical staff. The delayed surgery prevented Pietrus from being healthy at the start of the season, a setback he"
Shannon Brown gaining footing with new team
January 20
Arizona Republic
 
"The game was in the balance. The Suns held a two-point lead and had the ball in the final minute. Suns guard Shannon Brown was going to be aggressive one way or another. Brown stepped in from the 3-point line to get ready to crash the boards, assuming teammate Channing Frye was going to shoot. Instead, Frye fed Brown, who made a 3-pointer with the friendliest corner-shot bounce you will see -- from rim to glass to net. It was part of a key stretch for Brown in which he made four of the Suns' final five field goals in a 91-88 victory Wednesday night at New York. Brown has shot 50 percent or better in only three of 14 games this season but two of those have come in the past three games."
Doc 'doubts' ailing Rajon Rondo will see Suns
January 20
Boston Herald
 
"Rajon Rondo was in an unfamiliar spot during yesterday's Celtics practice. As the first and second units squared off in halfcourt sets, Rondo was stationed at midcourt next to Doc Rivers. It's not where the coach wants his point guard. "He was terrible," Rivers said of Rondo's skills as an assistant. "I'd rather have him as a player." Rivers doesn't think he'll get that wish tonight when the Celtics host the Phoenix Suns. Rondo sat out yesterday's practice with a right wrist injury he suffered after a hard fall in the third quarter of Wednesday's 96-73 win against the Toronto Raptors at the Garden."
Phoenix Suns shake up staring lineup vs. New York Knicks
January 19
Arizona Republic
 
"Suns coach Alvin Gentry shook up his starting lineup for the first time this season, but he said it was not to address how the Suns have started games. Gentry started Ronnie Price in place of shooting guard Jared Dudley and rookie Markieff Morris in place of power forward Channing Frye, although Morris' first pro start was short-lived. Morris picked up two early fouls guarding Amar'e Stoudemire and returned to the Suns locker room with a stomach illness that nearly made him a scratch before Wednesday night's game. "It's not really a demotion," Gentry said of the moves. "We went back and looked and right now we're Number 27 in the NBA in second-quarter points. We've got to get that unit to"
Phoenix Suns end 5-game losing streak with win over New York Knicks
January 19
Arizona Republic
 
"For the past six years, watching a meeting between the Suns and New York Knicks was like riding an amusement-park ride. It was fast, frenetic and fun. The Suns will settle for fun right now. Wednesday night's meeting of familiar faces and offenses was more like one slow climb on the log ride but at least the Suns finally got the big splash of a victory with a 91-88 win at a sold-out Madison Square Garden. In the teams' past 11 meetings, the Suns had averaged 114.3 points and the Knicks had averaged 110.9. Both teams scored about 23 fewer points this time around but Steve Nash was still brilliant on a 26-point, 11-assist night and the early-season defensive improvement resurfaced to shut"
Suns' Steve Nash could be answer to NY Knicks point guard troubles
January 19
New York Daily News
 
"Steve Nash could be the answer to the Knicks point guard troubles. That is, if they're willing to wait until next season to get him and Nash wants to play out his final years chasing a title in New York. Nash refused to discuss his pending free agency but he reiterated his fondness for New York City and Madison Square Garden. "It's no secret," Nash said after scoring 26 points with 11 assists in the Suns 91-88 victory over the Knicks on Wednesday. "This is the basketball capital of the world. I live here in the summer. I have a lot of friends here. My former coach (Mike D'Antoni) and teammate (Amar'e Stoudemire) play here so it's a homecoming in some ways for me. It's always fun to play"
Knicks continue to struggle but Carmelo Anthony suddenly goes cold in loss Mike D'Antoni's former team
January 19
New York Daily News
 
"Carmelo Anthony tried shooting the Knicks out of their funk only to dig a deeper hole for the team and his beleaguered coach. "We're in a little bit of a crisis," Mike D'Antoni said. Anthony's shooting percentage is as poor as the Knicks' record after Steve Nash, D'Antoni's all-time favorite player, had 26 points and 11 assists while the struggling Phoenix Suns ended a five-game losing streak with a 91-88 victory. The stunning home loss — the Knicks were rested while Phoenix was coming off a blowout loss at Chicago — was the Knicks' fourth straight. Anthony's sprained left wrist is a growing concern after the small forward scored 12 points on 5-for-22 shooting. In his last two games, he"
Nash defends old coach
January 19
New York Post
 
"Steve Nash drilled Mike D'Antoni on the court last night in carrying the Suns to a 91-88 victory, but he had his former coach's back afterward, saying the Knicks coach has faced nothing but upheaval during his tenure. With speculation Nash would want to play in New York next season, one wonders if it would be as appealing for the SoHo summer resident if D'Antoni is fired. "He's in a tough position,'' Nash said after his brilliant 26-point, 11-assist night, capped by hitting six straight free throws in the final 16 seconds. "Things have constantly changed. Now he has all these new pieces, he doesn't have the point guard he wanted. Maybe Baron [Davis] can help but to me, it's been a constant"
Knicks in 'crisis' after Suns hand team fourth straight loss
January 19
New York Post
 
"The only solace to another horrific Garden evening is maybe Steve Nash will be doing this for the Knicks next season and not against them. Sore-wristed Carmelo Anthony could not have been more awful and Amar'e Stoudemire wasn't much better. Anthony did not speak afterward. A team official claimed Anthony had a "family issue'' to go along with his massive shooting slump. Nash, whom the Knicks have targeted to fill their point-guard void next summer, was by far the best player in Manhattan last night and carried the Suns to a 91-88 victory at the angry Garden."
Phoenix Suns' Grant Hill sees what could have been
January 18
Arizona Republic
 
"It did not look like the Chicago Bulls needed Grant Hill on Tuesday night, but they sure did pursue him as a free agent in the off-season. Hill, who re-signed with the Suns for a one-year and $6.5 million, had plenty of suitors, but none pressed his decision like the Bulls, who made a competitive offer to Hill, fully knowing that he was coming off knee surgery in September at age 39. Hill arrived in Chicago in January with the frustration of shooting 33 percent on a skidding team, and Chicago has the best record in the league for a second consecutive season."
Phoenix Suns suffer 5th straight loss as Carlos Boozer powers Chicago Bulls' win
January 18
Arizona Republic
 
"The Chicago Bulls have the best record in the Eastern Conference, but it is not because of their offense and it would not be that way without Derrick Rose. It just looked that way Tuesday night at United Center, when the Suns allowed a Rose-less team to take uncontested shots with the regularity of warm-ups to turn the game into no contest. Chicago outscored its season average before the third quarter ended en route to a 118-97 thrashing of the Suns, who have a five-game losing streak for the first time since March 2009. That improved Suns defense seems more like a UFO sighting now. The Suns (4-9) have worsened with each loss to the point that they allowed Chicago (13-3), ranked 18th in"
Bulls' Carlos Boozer, C.J. Watson too hot for Suns
January 18
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"The Bulls can overcome the loss of Derrick Rose a lot more easily when Carlos Boozer and C.J. Watson shoot like they did against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night. But even after Boozer scored 31 points on 14-for-21 shooting and Watson added 23 on 8-for-12 shooting in a 118-97 victory at the United Center, the Bulls know their fate hinges more on the healing powers of their irrepressible MVP than the hot-and-cold shooting touch of any member of his supporting cast. Rose missed his second consecutive game and third in the last five with a sprained big toe on his left foot that appears to need rest in a season that won't provide much. The Bulls (13-3) played their 16th game in the first 24"
Bulls display depth in 118-97 victory over Suns
January 18
Chicago Tribune
 
"C.J. Watson has wanted no part of the running joke, even in light-hearted private moments. But after scoring 23 points Tuesday night in the Bulls' 118-97 victory over the Suns at United Center, the silliness only will gain steam. The three times Watson has played for an injured Derrick Rose, Watson has averaged 24.3 points. Throw in John Lucas III's 25-point performance when Rose and Watson both were injured last week and who needs that No. 1 guy anyway? "We do," Watson said, not taking the bait."
Knicks coach will see some free-flowing offense and good ball movement Wednesday - by his old team the Phoenix Suns
January 18
New York Daily News
 
"Mike D'Antoni all but guaranteed that his offense, the one he cultivated and the one Amar'e Stoudemire thrives in, will return to Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night. The ball movement, spacing, shot selection and superb point-guard play — the basic principles of D'Antoni's "Seven Seconds or Less" offense — will be on display. In fact, as long as Steve Nash is healthy and has the ball in his hands Wednesday night, D'Antoni can prove that his offense can be the model of efficiency. "They have a nice free-flowing offense," D'Antoni said Tuesday of the Phoenix Suns. "They're very good. Nash is one of the best. They run our offense. Or we run their offense. Either way you want to look at"
Knicks taking close look at Nash
January 18
New York Post
 
"Amar'e Stoudemire is off to the worst shooting start of his NBA career, and the Knicks' offense has been as disjointed and dysfunctional as it has been under coach Mike D'Antoni. The team's need for a point guard has never been clearer than in this three-game skid, and tonight they welcome the Suns and Steve Nash. Isn't that ironic? The Knicks (6-7) come into tonight fifth-worst in the league in both shooting (41.7 percent) and assists (18.0), and Stoudemire is the poster child for those woes. His 42.0-percent shooting is the most inaccurate of his career — other than his three-game 2005-06 campaign — and both he and D'Antoni insist his lack of production is a result of the team's lack of"