The Phoenix Suns were undefeated headed into Wednesday night’s game against the Orlando Magic. Follow the contest, the Suns had their first L of the season. The Magic were led by their two bigmen — Dwight Howard and Ryan Anderson.
Howard had 25 points and six rebounds in only 23 minutes as he battled foul trouble. Anderson, who is starting at power forward while Rashard Lewis serves a suspension, had 20 points and ten rebounds. The second-year bigman was acquired in the trade during the offseason that sent Vince Carter from the New Jersey Nets to the Magic.
The Suns, who were …read more

After a disappointing rookie season, the Phoenix Suns had high hopes for Robin Lopez this season. However, Lopez is now expected to miss at least six weeks due to a broken left foot that will require surgery.
Lopez was injured during the Suns intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday. His foot injury has been diagnosed as a broken fifth metatarsal. He’ll need a screw to fix his foot during surgery.
Last year, as a backup to Shaquille O’Neal, Lopez averaged 3.1 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.7 blocks in 10.2 minutes per contest. The 21-year-old shot 51.8% from the field and 69.1% from the …read more

JR Smith and Jason Richardson were both recently suspended by the NBA for driving offenses. As a result, both players will begin the 2009-10 season on the sidelines.
JR Smith, who has a chance to start for the Denver Nuggets this season, was suspended for seven games for a reckless driving charge he pleaded guilty to during the offseason. Last year, Smith averaged 15.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 27.7 minutes per game. Each of those stats were a career-high for Smith, who also shot 44.6% from the field and 39.7% from being the three-point arc.
Jason Richardson of the …read more

In the 2009 NBA Draft, every team wanted Blake Griffin. The number one overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers is projected by some scouts to be a superstar in the making. With the 48th overall pick, the Phoenix Suns went with the next best thing by drafting Taylor Griffin — Blake’s older brother.
The 6-foot-7 forward will be transitioning to playing out on the perimeter in the NBA. During summer league, he averaged 6.2 points and 3.0 assists per game. Last year playing with his brother on the Oklahoma Sooners, he averaged 9.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest.
While the …read more

Steve Nash has won two MVPs while with the Phoenix Suns. On Monday, the Suns gave Nash a two-year contract extension worth a reported $22 million. Nash is expected to sign the offer some point this week.
The 35-year-old native of Canada is coming off of another very good season. While his numbers were down a little bit, he still is regarded as one of the best point guards in the leauge. Last year, Nash averaged 15.7 points, 9.7 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game in 33.6 minutes.
Despite Nash’s play, the Suns weren’t able to make the playoffs. They struggled under …read more

Stephen Curry may have had his bags packed and ready for New York City, but much to the disappointment of the New York Knicks, he’ll be going to the West Coast instead.
Coach Don Nelson of the Golden State Warriors stole Curry right out from under the Knicks’ noses when he picked him 7th overall in the 2009 NBA Draft.
To anyone out there who thinks Nelson is planning on trading Curry to the highest bidder (ahem, Phoenix Suns) — think again.
“He can unpack his bags and relax,” Nelson said after welcoming Curry to Oakland. “He can buy a house. We drafted …read more

Shaquille O’Neal is on the move again. This time, Shaq will join LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers. The LeBron and Shaq show will attempt to bring an NBA championship to the city of Cleveland for the first time.
In return for Shaq, the Phoenix Suns received Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, cash and a second round pick in next year’s draft. The Suns did the deal for financial reasons as Pavlovic has an unguaranteed contract and Wallace is said to be leaning toward retirement.
The 37-year-old O’Neal is coming off of a very good season. He averaged 17.8 points, 8.4 rebounds, 1.4 …read more

Within the last 24 hours, there has been a lot of talk about Amare Stoudemire getting traded. The most heated rumor had the Phoenix Suns power forward being dealt for Al Jefferson and the 6th pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. This trade came courtesy of Boston.com.
Supposedly, the Minnesota Timberwolves want to shake up their roster and that could include trading Jefferson. If they do want to trade Jefferson, getting Stoudemire in return could be one of their better options. However, Minnesota trading Jefferson and the sixth overall pick makes too much sense for the Suns.
After getting the basketball world …read more

Steve Nash’s time with the Phoenix Suns may be up. As one analyst puts it, the sun may be setting on Nash’s storied career in Phoenix. This doesn’t mean that Nash will be done playing basketball for good. Though he’s been in the league for 13 seasons, I fully believe he’s got two maybe three more seasons in him — back  problems and all. The guy can still play, and he proved that  this season, even as his team began to crumble around him.
First, his new coach Terry Porter was fired. Then his best friend, Raja Bell, gets traded. THEN, …read more

After injuring his left knee on Wednesday night against the Philadelphia 76ers, Leandro Barbosa of the Phoenix Suns is expected to miss between one and three weeks of action. The injury happened in the third quarter of the game when his knee awkwardly bent inward. The official diagnosis is a bone contusion.
On the season, Barbosa’s numbers are down across the board. The former Sixth Man of the Year is averaging 14.3 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 24.7 minutes per game.
The Barbosa injury is yet another blow to Phoenix’s chances of making the playoffs. Currently, the Suns are …read more