The Arizona Republic (Paul Coro) reports: Nothing has changed in the past two weeks as far as the free agents Phoenix is targeting for its 13th man vacancy. Linton Johnson and Bobby Jones still top the list. The Suns are holding off because they have the time to do so, given that the 13th spot does not have to be filled until Friday, and because they are still exploring trades through Thursday’s deadline. Denver’s Yakhouba Diawara and Seattle’s Mickael Gelabele are among the names being mentioned.
Category: Phoenix Suns Blog
Suns blog – Phoenix Suns blog, on Suns basketball news, rumors and more
Shaq to play tonight
The Arizona Republic (Paul Coro) reports: Suns center Shaquille O’Neal proclaimed tonight’s home game against the Los Angeles Lakers a new chapter in his career. “The fourth and final chapter,” O’Neal said after this morning’s shootaround. The plan still is to start O’Neal and have him play short spans of time, totaling 20 to 25 minutes. O’Neal has been limited to four games over the past eight weeks by a hip injury that is no longer painful.
Suns, Nuggets to play NBA game outdoors
The NBA’s first outdoor game of the modern era will take place when the Phoenix Suns host the Denver Nuggets in a preseason game on Saturday, October 11 at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in Indian Wells, CA. The 16,000-seat stadium is an NBA-style arena with no roof located in a spectacular desert setting. The venue annually plays host to one of the world’s major tennis tournaments, the Pacific Life Open.
Full story is here.
Suns to make announcement Tuesday
Tuesday at 1 p.m. ET the Phoenix Suns will host a press conference in Indian Wells, California to make some sort of announcement. The press conference will involve Suns Partner Richard Heckmann, Suns President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts, Indian Wells Mayor Mary Roche and Raymond Moore, President, PM Sports Management.
It was about this: The Arizona Republic reports: The Suns hold claim to staging the NBA’s first outdoor game but it will not be by virtue of today’s announcement that they are playing Denver in an outdoor preseason game Oct. 11 in Indian Wells, Calif. Phoenix made that history in 1972 when it played the league’s only other outdoor games ever in Puerto Rico. Considering one game was in a baseball stadium with fans behind chain-link fences and one was in a covered arena with no side walls to keep birds off the court, this is the first modern try at outdoor basketball.
Jason Kapono wins 3-point Shootout
By InsideHoops.com
It’s 2008 NBA All-Star Weekend, Saturday night, and we’re up to the NBA Three-Point Shootout. Jason Kapono won it last year.
Richard Hamilton is up first. He hit 2 shots on the first rack, 4 on the second, 3 on the third, 3 on the fourth, and 4 on the last — but two of his last-rack shots were discounted by the refs because Rip stepped on the line. Hamilton actually shot well but did not hit a single money-ball except on the very last rack, but that shot was one of the shots discounted by the refs. Rip’s final score wound up being 14.
Daniel Gibson went second, and started from the nontraditional left side. He struggled early, but then picked things up. Gibson hit 1 shot on the first rack, 4 shots (including a money-ball) on the second rack, 3 shots (including a money-ball) on the third rack, 3 shots on the fourth rack, and 3 shots (including a money-ball) on the last rack, getting 17.
Steve Nash went third, also starting from the left side, and was awful from start to finish, getting a pathetic 9 points. They should have let InsideHoops.com editor Jeff Lenchiner shoot.
Dirk Nowitzki was next, continuing the new tradition of starting from the left side. He shot a very long, slow, high-arc release which wasn’t very fitting for this competition. After a slow start he picked it up, and on the five racks he hit 1, 5, 3, 3 and 3 shots, with money-balls on the second and fourth racks. Dirk finished with 17.
Next is Peja Stojakovic, starting from the right side. He hit just one shot in the first rack and his first money-ball attempt hit the side of the backboard. His struggles continued until he got to the top of the key, which he rocked. And then stepped up on the last rack. In the five shooting areas Peja hit 1, 2, 3, 3 and 4 shots, with money-balls on the third and fourth racks. He got 15 points.
InsideHoops.com is the best pro basketball website ever, by the way. Just a reminder.
Last up is defending three-point champion Jason Kapono, who starts from the left side. He is shooting very quickly and did well all-around, though missing the money-balls, but rocked in the end when he needed it. From the five racks he hit 2, 4, 3, 4 and 5 shots, with money-balls on the second and fifth racks. Kapono finished with an awesome 20 points.
Reaching the second and final round is Kapono, Dirk and Gibson.
Starting first is Gibson, shooting very quickly, picking up steam halfway through and again at the end. The money-ball saved him. In the five racks he hit 2, 2, 3, 2 and 4 shots with money-balls on the first, third, fourth and fifth racks, finishing with 17.
Nowitzki is up second, high arc and all, and did decently but struggled with money-balls. In the five racks he hit 1, 4, 2, 3 and 3 shots, with just one money-ball, the very last shot. He got 14 points.
Kapono must beat 17 to win it. And unleashed one of the best performances ever, hitting every single money-ball, and on the five racks making 3, 5, 4, 4 and 4 shots, finishing with an awesome 24 points.
As always, this was a fun competition.
Kapono repeats as the three-point shootout champion.
InsideHoops.com is your home for the web’s best pro basketball coverage.
San Antonio wins Shooting Stars competition
Team San Antonio, with Tim Duncan, David Robinson and Becky Hammon, won the 2008 NBA All-Star Weekend Shooting Stars competition Saturday night. After the team got through the regular shots, Tim Duncan quickly hit the half-court shot.
The other team in the Shooting Stars second and final round was Team Chicago, with Chris Duhon, Candice Dupree and B.J. Armstrong. They did well with the regular shots and easily could have won, but took forever to hit the half-court shot, losing it for that reason.
Team Los Angeles wasn’t too hot. And Team Phoenix had potential, but Eddie Johnson struggled.
Wade speaks on Shaq trade
Here’s Dwyane Wade at All-Star weekend:
Q: Talking about the trade … what does Shaq bring to the Suns and Marion bring to your team?
Dwyane Wade: Well, first of all, Shaq … is really made for the Playoffs — to slow the pace down for them and really give them a halfcourt dominance. He’s really going to make Amare [Stoudemire] and them tougher. They’re really going to be able to compete with guys on a different level than they have been in previous years. But what Shawn [Marion] brings to us is excitement and consistency. He’s a guy that’s going to give you what he gives you every night and he’s a guy that, with myself, is [part of] the rebuilding tools … for the future. Two totally different directions: Phoenix is looking to win now and we’re looking to rebuild now.
The interview is short and the rest is about All-Star stuff, but read more here.
Wizards notes for upcoming game in Phoenix
This game marks the second and final of two meetings between Washington and Phoenix this season. Phoenix was victorious in the first meeting this season, 122-107, at Verizon Center on December 7. The Wizards and Suns split their season-series in five straight seasons, and in six of the last seven campaigns. Washington swept the Suns in 2001-02, but needs a win tonight to avoid being swept by Phoenix for the first time since the 1999-00 season.
The Wizards won their lone game in Phoenix in both of the two previous seasons. Washington last lost in Arizona on December 18, 2004.
Washington will look to snap a season-high six-game losing streak. With a win against the Suns, the Wizards will avoid their first seven-game losing streak since March 5-16, 2004.
Wizards forward Andray Blatche finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks as a starter in Washington’s last game. In six starts this season, Blatche has averaged 15.3 points, 11.0 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. With the Clippers’ Chris Kaman, Orlando’s Dwight Howard and Houston’s Yao Ming, Blatche is one of only four players in the NBA averaging at least 15 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks per game as a starter this season.
In Washington’s last game (L, 111-100 at DEN, 2/8)…Antawn Jamison had a team-high 21 points in defeat…Andray Blatche grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds and scored 14 points to record his fifth double-double of the season…Nick Young connected on 7-of-13 field goal attempts and 5-of-6 free throws en route to scoring a career-high 19 points…Darius Songaila finished with a season-high 15 points…DeShawn Stevenson’s 15 points gave Washington five players in double figures in scoring…Already with Caron Butler, Gilbert Arenas and Etan Thomas sidelined due to injury, Antonio Daniels was limited to less than seven minutes of action with right knee tendinitis.
Last time vs. Phoenix…(L, 107-122 vs. PHX, 12/7)…Seven Wizards scored in double figures; the only time this season in which seven different Wizards scored 10+ points apiece in a game…Andray Blatche scored a team-high 19 points, and with his 10 rebounds recorded a double-double…Roger Mason contributed 15 points…Nick Young finished 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting…Antonio Daniels led the Wizards with seven assists…Phoenix’s Steve Nash established a new Verizon Center-record with 19 assists.
Last season vs. Phoenix…The Wizards and Suns each won a game on the other’s home court…Caron Butler averaged 29.0 points in two games vs. Phoenix…Phoenix’s Steve Nash accounted for 34.5 points and 13.0 assists per game against Washington…The Wizards’ win came via a 144-139 overtime decision in Arizona on December 22; a game in which Washington’s Gilbert Arenas set a new US Airways Center scoring record with 54 points.
Wizards-Suns connections…Caron Butler and Phoenix’s Shaquille O’Neal were part of the Lakers-Heat trade that sent Shaq to Miami and made Butler a Laker…DeShawn Stevenson and Phoenix’s Grant Hill are former Orlando Magic teammates…Antawn Jamison and Steve Nash played together in Dallas…Jamison and Suns Head Coach Mike D’Antoni represented the United States in FIBA World Championship play in 2006…Suns’ rookie DJ Strawberry played collegiately at the University of Maryland.
All-Star weekend Shooting Stars participants announced
Team Detroit will defend its Haier Shooting Stars title against Team Chicago, Team Phoenix and Team San Antonio in this year’s competition, which will be held on NBA All-Star Saturday Night, Feb. 16, at New Orleans Arena.
The Detroit team, which captured the title last year in Las Vegas with a time of 50.5 seconds, consists of All-Star and 2004 Finals MVP Chauncey Billups, Shock forward and two-time WNBA All-Star Swin Cash, and Shock head coach and four-time NBA All-Star Bill Laimbeer. Cash and Laimbeer were key figures in the Shock capturing the 2003 and 2006 WNBA championships.
Team Chicago, last year’s runner-up, is comprised of Bulls guard and Slidell, La. native Chris Duhon, two-time WNBA All-Star and Sky forward Candice Dupree and three-time NBA champion B.J. Armstrong. Representing Phoenix, the 2005 winner, are All-Star Amaré Stoudemire, two-time WNBA All-Star and 2007 WNBA Finals MVP Cappie Pondexter and Suns great Eddie Johnson. Team San Antonio, which dominated the competition in the 2006 Shooting Stars challenge with a record-setting time of 25.1 seconds, consists of 10-time All-Star and three-time Finals MVP Tim Duncan, four-time WNBA All-Star and Silver Stars guard Becky Hammon and David Robinson, a two-time NBA champion and One of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History. Team Los Angeles won the inaugural competition in 2004.
The Haier Shooting Stars contest features one current NBA player, one current WNBA player and one NBA legend on each team. There are six numbered shooting locations of increasing difficulty, with each team attempting to make all shots in numeric order in the fastest time. Each team will select a specific player rotation to follow throughout the competition. Each shot must be made before the next player begins shooting in succession. Teams have up to two minutes to complete the entire shooting course and the team that completes all six shots in the least amount of time is declared the winner. In the case of a tie, a shoot-off will be used to determine the winner.
Shaq meeting with media Thursday morning
New Suns center Shaquille O’Neal, who on Wednesday was traded from the Heat in exchange for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks, will be meeting with the media Thursday morning, 10 a.m. Pacific time (1 p.m. ET). So, expect lots of interview quotes shortly after that time.
With Shaq at center, Amare Stoudemire gets to play his natural position of power forward, while Grant Hill and Boris Diaw split time at small forward.