With the best record in the NBA, the Phoenix Suns are rising out of the West. After all, nobody expected them to be 8-1 at the beginning of the season. But the Suns, with a little help from All-Star Steve Nash, are proving everyone wrong.
Tonight, they’ll have a chance to see just how good they really are when they play the defending NBA Champions. The Los Angeles Lakers are currently 6-1, and they are on a mission to repeat.
“When you’re playing the world champs, it’s always a great measuring stick,” said Nash, according to ESPN.com. “Now we go to LA …read more

Steve Nash came under scrutiny in the off-season when he re-signed with the floundering Phoenix Suns. The two-time NBA MVP figured that he owed the Suns that much. He was with them when they were up, why wouldn’t he stick with them when they were down?
“I was a free agent and it was natural to explore my options,” Nash said, according to ESPN.com. “Some people said I was a little crazy going back to Phoenix because I wouldn’t have as good a chance to win. I liked the team and coaches and I was comfortable.”
From the outset, it looks like …read more

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