Steve Nash might be playing his final game with Phoenix tonight. Continue reading…

Mikael Pietrus spent most of his time in Phoenix injured, but he’s planning on staying with the Suns. Continue reading…

Grant Hill is hoping to keep his skills in the valley of the Sun. Continue reading…

Steve Nash has had a change of heart regarding his future with the Phoenix Suns. Continue reading…

Steve Nash said he takes in trade speculation for two seconds before moving on, especially after Suns management publicly stated an intent to keep him. “I appreciate them being faithful to me and telling the press that they’re not going to trade me,” Nash said. “That’s probably kept the trade talk to a minimum. I don’t really even concentrate on that, regardless. I’m always going to concentrate on trying to rally the troops, be accountable every day, try to lead the team, be aggressive on the floor and make plays so we can win as many games and try to get back to the playoffs. “I’m loyal to the Suns, the franchise, the fans. I was given a contract, and I want to honor it. That’s all I’m concerned with. When they tell me it’s time to go, it’s time to go. But until then, I’m just going to play my hardest and try to get better.” — Arizona Republic

With less than two weeks until the NBA’s trade deadline, speculation turns rampant on possible deals from coast to coast. The Suns already made their big trade. They still are settling into their Dec. 18 six-player deal with Orlando – making it less likely that any more shake-ups will come before the Feb. 24 deadline. Suns Managing Partner Robert Sarver and President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby have said they do not foresee trading point guard Steve Nash, who has reaffirmed a commitment and desire to stay with the Suns. “We’ve already made one huge trade, and we’ve got to let that settle out before we do anything more, but we’ve always got our eyes and ears open,” Babby said. “We will do our due diligence.” — Arizona Republic

Suns owner Robert Sarver talks of guard Steve Nash as a key part moving forward despite speculation – and suggestion – that the team trade the player they often call the face of the franchise. Nash turns 37 in 10 days. Continue reading to see why the Suns owner doesn’t want to trade him or Grant Hill

Vince Carter said he tried to be a 23-year-old when he “tweaked” his sore left knee on a dunk 2 1/2 minutes into Monday night’s loss at Philadelphia, his only score of the game. He turns 33 Wednesday, and that 23-year-old All-Star phenom is not coming back. The Suns just want back the scoring guard they had until the past four games. The Suns wanted Carter to become their top scorer and take at least 15 shots per game. Instead, Carter just had the lowest-scoring four-game stretch of his 13-year career with 7.5 points per game. He averaged 18.9 in his first 10 Suns games. “I plan on being that,” Carter said of being a go-to scorer, like when he started the trip with 29 points at New York. “In my mind, it was a rough trip. It took me outside of what they want me to do and what I feel I should be.” — Arizona Republic

Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby knows he saw what every Suns fan saw Tuesday night in Denver, where the Suns suffered a 34-point loss that ranked as the ninth worst loss in franchise history. After getting home at 2 a.m., Babby was quick to apologize to fans

This is why opposing teams aren’t convinced the Suns won’t trade Steve Nash before the Feb. 24 trade deadline Continue reading →

An unlikely visitor to the Suns practice court: Isaiah Rider. The one-time NBA All-Star Slam Dunk winner who had a laundry list of problems during a 9-year pro career, evidently came to visit with Vince Carter. — Arizona Republic

Pick a number from 0 and 99. It seems simple but Vince Carter and fellow Suns newcomers Marcin Gortat and Mickael Pietrus all had a trying time with picking uniform numbers. Carter almost always has been No. 15. That is Robin Lopez’s number. He wore Nos. 8 and 9 in national play but Channing Frye wears No. 8 and Dan Majerle is in the Ring of Honor as No. 9. He said he thought about Nos. 1 (Josh Childress), 5 (retired for Dick Van Arsdale) and 6 (Walter Davis’ number in the Ring of Honor). He settled on No. 25, his number for an All-Star Game. Continue reading →

The stellar play of Grant Hill, Jared Dudley and Josh Childress is all the more important with the Suns and Vince Carter considering arthroscopic surgery for Carter’s troublesome left knee that could put him out for up to a month. — Arizona Republic

Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby was clear Nash is part of the future and all indications are that Steve Nash is in Phoenix to stay. “I signed the contract extension to stay,” Nash said. “I did that for a reason. I wanted to play with these guys, some of them. At least some of them were here when I signed. I still think we have a chance to be a good team. You just got to roll with it. What are my options? Quit?” A two-time MVP could demand a trade. “I could be in a city that maybe doesn’t have the guys we have,” Nash said. “I want to be positive and make this a great opportunity and a great season. I know a lot of people are telling me to demand a trade. If I demand one, does that mean I get to pick my team? No. It’s not that simple. Maybe somebody could explain to me the reasoning. You can’t just go in and tell management where you want to go. I signed to play here and I want to make this team a really good one.” — Arizona Republic

Considering the D’Antoni-Stoudemire hookup and that the Suns have slipped, perhaps it’s not a surprise Steve Nash’s name has come up in trade rumors, with the Knicks mentioned the most. But Nash scoffs at the rumors. “It’s a 24-hour news cycle so someone’s got to make something up,” Nash said. “I don’t think there’s any truth to any of it. So I’ve never even thought twice about it. I thought it was typical paper talk … Management has told me (Nash is not being shopped). They’re like, ‘Not even close.’ I trust them. It’s never been a concern of mine. I’m just trying to get this team to come together and I’m not worried about trade talk.” Suns coach Alvin Gentry concurred that Nash has been told there’s nothing to the rumors. “They’re totally false,” Gentry said. “It’s like somebody saying that Peyton Manning is going to be traded.” — Fanhouse