Kevin Durant was smoking, and then all of a sudden, he wasn’t. In the first nine minutes and change of the fourth quarter, the man who scored 52 points and had nine rebounds in Oklahoma City’s 117-114 OT win over Dallas was about as hot as the Cavs in cryotherapy, missing six straight field goal attempts, turning the ball over and committing an offensive foul. Read More »

UPDATE: Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic tweets the two sides “mutually agreed to part ways.”

Initially reported as a firing by Draft Express, Alvin Gentry is out as the head coach of the Phoenix Suns. Phoenix, which has been in a tailspin since the departure of Steve Nash, has struggled of late, winning just two of their last 15 games. Yet, their 13-28 record can’t totally be the fault of Gentry, considered one of the better coaches in the league, and a man who is beloved by almost all of his players. Read More »

Famously, Bill Russell used to vomit in the locker room before every game for his Boston Celtics. He would get so worked up vomiting was the only way to deal with the intensity he wrought on himself before going out and dominating for 48 minutes. Read More »

I’m not sure what we’d do without the Internet. In past generations, they had the newspaper and Sunday afternoon matinees. Now, we have forum threads, we have Twitter, ESPN, rumor wires, we have pretty much everything. It’s easy to spread gossip. If you’ve been hanging around the Interwebs for a while, then you’ve probably heard tremors about what I’m going to tell you: Jerry Stackhouse is a bad mother. Some NBA players are known for being crazy (Ron Artest/Metta World Peace). Others are known for rolling super deep (Stephen Jackson/Chris Mills). Then you have a guy like Charles Oakley, who gets a category all to himself. But Stack might be one of the few everyone knows you don’t mess with. Read More »

The Pacific Division’s second half is a tale of two teams from one city. No one is catching either the Clippers or Lakers as the rosters of the other three — Warriors, Kings, Suns — stand. If you’re trying to build a case in those teams’ defense, just stop.

This is what commissioner David Stern dreamed of in December when a trade of Chris Paul from New Orleans to the Lakers was rejected like a shot in Serge Ibaka’s airspace. That could have resulted in enough cap room to realize the owners’ great fear, Dwight Howard to the Lakers, and the run of titles in purple and gold to go with it. Read More »

Three years after Mike D’Antoni left Phoenix for New York, his run-and-gun style still influences Phoenix’s style under Alvin Gentry. And with two-time MVP Steve Nash still running the point, it’s easy to think of the Suns as a guard’s playground.

But as the Suns open their preseason tonight against Denver ahead of Monday’s season opener at home against New Orleans, the intrigue around Phoenix centers around its emerging frontcourt depth. Read More »

To the Phoenix Suns fans out there: your playoff chances now rest on the shoulders of Jared Dudley and Marcin Gortat. Well, not really. But after starting during Sunday night’s 91-83 loss against Dallas, the two former bench players will now be a part of Phoenix’s opening group for the remainder of the season. Read More »

Eleven days after Vince Carter was traded to the Phoenix Suns, the eight-time NBA All-Star is ready to make his debut for his fourth NBA team.

Suns coach Alvin Gentry said he expects Vince to play tonight against the 76ers, after Vince had been sidelined since the Dec. 18 trade with a sore knee. The Sixers will likely play without Andre Iguodala (Achilles), meaning Carter could have a mismatch or two to exploit when he’s on the court. Read More »

The Phoenix Suns have rolled through three general managers, three coaches and a slew of All-Stars and talented role players since 2005. After the sale of the franchise from long-time sports owner Jerry Colangelo to businessman Robert Sarver, this question looms: How much time does a team under new ownership need to settle down?

Composing winning teams in the NBA means team ownership must pair talented players with adaptable coaches. But championship-caliber teams keep those pieces static. Retaining players and coaches requires that the ownership have patience and trust in everyone in the organization –- no panicking allowed. Read More »

Whether you compete in the pros or just run pickup on the weekends, your age is not the only factor to consider when it comes to sports. While age and genetics do play a role, it doesn’t mean you have to give up the sport you love or stop getting paid to play. The concept of “Going out on top” is overrated if you truly love the game enough to play until the wheels fall off.

Take Chipper Jones. The Atlanta Braves future Hall of Fame third baseman is 38 years old, coming off a major knee surgery, and plans on returning to play Major League Baseball next season. The same can be said for Kevin Garnett, arguably the greatest defensive leader of the post-Bill Russell era, who came back from major knee surgery at the age of 34 just to be able to help lead his team to another championship. Read More »