2009-10

Tucker Keeps Perspective

November 25, 2009 By



Tucker knew that going negative would never take him anywhere.
(Barry Gossage/NBAE/Getty Images)

A lot of professional athletes catch a bad rap for not appreciating where they came from and what they’re doing. Those athletes aren’t Alando Tucker. Despite all the excuses in the world to turn negative while growing up, Tucker refrained. Now after not having the option his contract picked up by the Suns and receiving very little playing time, the former Big Ten Player of the Year still remains positive that brighter days lie ahead in his latest blog. [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2009-10, Alando Tucker Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

A Go Story (aka a Shameless Suns Halloween Headline)

October 26, 2009 By
hotel del 540

It’s almost enough to even make the Suns Gorilla scream out in fright.

Earlier this month, the Suns closed out training camp in San Diego by checking out of the team hotel. That’s fortunate, because some guests never leave. [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2009-10, Alando Tucker, Amare Stoudemire, Josh Greene

The Great Outdoors

October 11, 2008 By

Well after much anticipation, the outdoor game at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden between us and the Denver Nuggets is finally in the books. Not the results we were looking for (in case you didn’t catch it on TNT, we lost), but definitely an experience I’ll remember.

It was unique, different and heading in we had no idea what to expect. Got a little colder than we thought it would get out here. When we took the court this evening for shootaround, me and the guys were kind of hoping that as fans made their way into the building things would warm up a bit. That didn’t end up being the case, unfortunately. It was chilly out there at certain points and the wind definitely played a factor. Overall it was an exciting experience and definitely different than anything I’d ever been involved in. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Alando Tucker, Amare Stoudemire, Terry Porter

First game gives both questions and answers

October 8, 2008 By

In the wake of the coaching merry-go-round that spun Coach Mike off to New York, both General Manager Steve Kerr and Coach Terry Porter vowed these Suns would be different.  And one of the few things we could get out of last night’s game was that that promise is being kept.

These Suns are indeed “different”. [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2008-2009, Alando Tucker, Amare Stoudemire, Coaching Staff, Front Office, Goran Dragic, Leandro Barbosa, Matt Barnes, Players, Robin Lopez, Seasons, Shaquille O'Neal, Steve Kerr, Steve Nash, Terry Porter

Suns vs Suns: 2008 Edition

October 3, 2008 By

It’s 4:30pm in Tucson and I’m sitting at the very top of the McKale Center, listening to Steve Koek and Adam Beechen start the annual podcast of the Phoenix Suns scrimmage.  As I mentioned in a previous blog, this is my second time at the scrimmage and it’s really different this time.  At the first scrimmage, I had the privilege of driving Al McCoy to the arena.  I was surprised at how easy it was to get in when I was tagging along with Al.  No one questioned me at all.  I just followed Al and everything was ok.

This time was a little different.  With the scrimmage starting at 5:00, we had to leave for the arena mid-afternoon to get here on time and make sure we got everything set up.  Unfortunately, Suns.com’s Daniel Banks and I didn’t follow the example of our fearless leader, Jeramie McPeek, and we left a half hour later than he did.  That put us right in the middle of early Friday rush hour traffic in Tucson.  Not a good time.

After dropping Banks off at the arena to get started on setting everything up (and almost hitting Suns owner Robert Sarver with my car in my hurry to get to the parking garage – sorry, Mr. Sarver!), I found parking and was able to get inside.  I was nervous that it wouldn’t be so easy to get in this time without Al as my escort.  But the arena staff was very accommodating and helped me get in and find where I needed to be. [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2008-2009, Alando Tucker, Amare Stoudemire, Boris Diaw, Coaching Staff, Dan Hilton, Daniel Banks, David Griffin, Front Office, Goran Dragic, Grant Hill, Jeramie McPeek, Players, Raja Bell, Robin Lopez, Seasons, Shaquille O'Neal, Steve Kerr, Steve Nash, Steven J. Koek, Suns.com Staff, Terry Porter

Nash hopes to play beyond current contract

October 2, 2008 By

So I just returned from two days in Tucson and here are some early impressions of training camp:

  • Terry Porter has instantly placed his imprint on this team with a no-nonsense approach which will make this a tougher team mentally and physically.
  • Terry is drilling the team on defensive fundamentals and even putting the guys through defensive slide drills!  (You haven’t lived until you’ve seen Shaq do the same drills we all did back in high school!)
  • Matt Barnes was the offensive star of the scrimmage last night at St. Gregory’s High School. He has a very quick release and showed off his accuracy from faraway. [Read more...]
Filed Under: 2008-2009, Alando Tucker, Coaching Staff, Dan Majerle, Matt Barnes, Players, Sean Singletary, Seasons, Shaquille O'Neal, Steve Nash, Terry Porter

Welcome to Suns 101. Now take your seats…

October 1, 2008 By

School was in session Tuesday at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Admittedly, that shouldn’t be much of a surprise. It is a college, after all.

But the only classroom the Suns were concerned with was situated on the McKale Center hardwood, where the team officially tipped off training camp.

With their first test slated for their season opener in San Antonio on October 29, that gives Phoenix just under a month to gear up for the new NBA year.

That’s not to say the Suns need a ton of instruction (remember, they have had some level of success over the last few years), but they do need to be brought up to speed on the Terry Porter way. While a lot of preseason pundits have predicted a new focus on defense this upcoming season, consider this. After the team’s initial “1-2-3 Suns” chant to break practice Tuesday, the new Suns head coach prompted a verbal addendum, “1-2-3 Defense.” [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2008-2009, Alando Tucker, Amare Stoudemire, Coaching Staff, Goran Dragic, Grant Hill, Matt Barnes, Players, Raja Bell, Robin Lopez, Sean Singletary, Seasons, Shaquille O'Neal, Steve Nash, Terry Porter

A Camping Veteran

September 30, 2008 By

Media Day 2008 is in the books and Training Camp is officially underway.

This year’s Media Day on the practice court felt a lot different than last season’s as a rookie. I was more relaxed and more comfortable because I knew what to expect. I still came in with a lot of energy and because I’m so much more accustomed to speaking with the media, I was able to relax a little bit more. Best of all, I wasn’t the butt of all the vets’ jokes like I was last season. This year I was even able to joke around with some of the young guys myself.

Speaking of, this year’s crop of Suns rookies have been asking me a lot of questions. I understand where they’re coming from. It’s tough coming into this league not knowing what to anticipate. I remember last year at Media Day kind of feeling in awe of everything, a bit in shock that I was attending my first NBA function. So I’ve been giving as much advice to the guys as I can, both good and bad. I’ve probably scared them a little bit more than anything else though. [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2008-2009, Alando Tucker, Coaching Staff, Dan Majerle, Goran Dragic, Igor Kokoskov, Players, Robin Lopez, Seasons

Nash leading by example

September 19, 2008 By

Following a scrimmage game on the Suns practice court at the US Airways Center this week, several players stopped for a quick Gatorade break on the sideline. After a few moments they returned, with the exception of one player – two-time MVP Steve Nash. It wasn’t because Steve was tired and thankfully it wasn’t because he had pulled anything. It was simply because he had never left.

In fact, at no point in between the four or five scrimmage games the team ran did Nash stop and take a break. He stayed on the court and just kept on shooting. I’m not telling this story because I necessarily recommend it from a health standpoint, but simply to set up the point I’m hopefully going to make.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Alando Tucker, Amare Stoudemire, Former Players, Grant Hill, Leandro Barbosa, Players, Robin Lopez, Steve Nash

Tucker Back From Summer League, Ready to Roll

August 18, 2008 By

Well I’m fresh off of summer league and already the NBA season is just around the corner. I really can’t believe how fast the offseason has flown by.

The summer league in Las Vegas was a good experience, but as a team I think we could’ve played better. We knew heading in that we were going to have our work cut out for us in terms of finding chemistry. DJ Strawberry and I were the only ones on the team who had played together and when you try to form a ballclub with a bunch of guys that haven’t played with one another, it’s tough. [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2008-2009, Alando Tucker, Players, Seasons
Next Page »