Amare Stoudemire

Welcoming J-Rich to the Valley

December 11, 2008 By
(Rocky Widner/NBAE Photos/Getty Images)

(Rocky Widner/NBAE Photos/Getty Images)

Hey, Suns fans. I had some time in between ballgames today and just wanted to check in following a tough loss last night in Los Angeles. We were obviously short-handed for the contest following the trade and while I’m not somebody who really believes in moral victories, I was glad to see us out there fighting hard to the end. The bottom line is we still came up a little bit short, but we again showed improvement and I definitely think we’re continuing to take steps in the right direction.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Amare Stoudemire, Matt Barnes, Raja Bell, Sean Singletary, Shaquille O'Neal, Steve Nash

Gearing up for the season

October 7, 2008 By

Barry Gossage / NBAE Photos

Barry Gossage / NBAE Photos

The Suns had an all-employee meeting this morning in the Casino Arizona Pavilion at US Airways Center.  It’s something they usually do a few weeks before the season starts.  With employees spread out through the entire arena, it’s hard to fathom how many people actually work for the team.  But when we are all there together, you realize how many people it takes to keep an arena, 3 teams and many other events going on a daily basis.

Team President, Rick Welts, usually speaks to the employees and lets them know how the business is going, what the goals for the upcoming season are, etc.  That still happened and it was great to hear his vision of the next year.  After Welts spoke, we had several other people talk about the upcoming season including the All-Star Game that is coming to Phoenix in February 2009.  We had some discussion of what that would bring to Phoenix and to US Airways Center.  Then because of all of the changes that happened in the off-season, we also had some special guests. [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2008-2009, Amare Stoudemire, Coaching Staff, Front Office, Goran Dragic, Matt Barnes, Players, Robin Lopez, Sean Singletary, Seasons, Shaquille O'Neal, Steve Kerr, Steve Nash, 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

Let's Go Camping!

September 28, 2008 By

Welcome to another exciting season of Suns’ basketball, fans!   It’s amazing how quickly the offseason goes by – training camp begins this week and before you know it, we’ll be tipping off the regular season in San Antonio on October 29th.

As always, the Western Conference promises to be deep and competitive, but we  feel we have the talent to compete with anyone.  Obviously, there have been significant additions made to our team this summer, and I wanted to let you know my thoughts as the season gets underway. [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2008-2009, Goran Dragic, Matt Barnes, Robin Lopez, Sean Singletary, Steve Kerr Tagged With: ,

Why I Dig Sean Singletary

August 26, 2008 By

The Suns acquired rookie point guard Sean Singletary from the Rockets in a trade for D.J. Strawberry. Here’s why I like the addition, reasons listed alphabetically:

A – as in Assists. Sean’s a true point guard, raised in a city known for their great point guards, Philadelphia. He’s been running offenses since he picked up a basketball. He knows how to find guys on the court, and he’s not scared of going to the basket, taking punishment, and dishing off. For all his many gifts, D.J. just wasn’t going to become a real point guard. Now the Suns have real depth at the position, which will come in handy as Goran Dragic learns the NBA way. Yes, Singletary is unproven in the league as well, but he’s played against NBA talent during college and in the off-seasons – and done well.

B – as in Best, as in Singletary played in the best college basketball conference in the country, the ACC (so did D.J., by the way). He ran his team against Duke and North Carolina four times a year. He knows pressure atmospheres and hostile crowds – it doesn’t get any rougher than playing on those teams’ home floors…in college or in the pros. [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2008-2009, Players, Sean Singletary, Seasons