PHX Stan needed the night off so I'm giving him a birthday present by posting his thoughts and audio from practice today.
It was no surprise that Coach Gentry was happy with a W but unhappy with many aspects of the Suns' performance last night. Still a win is a win which is probably why the boys weren't running suicides at practice. Here are some of Stan's observations:
Happy Birthday to the newest Dudley, Jaylin Aaliyah.
More Dudley's has to be a good thing...
Enjoy the audio, make sure to post a special birthday message for Stan and don't forget to guess his age!:
http://assets.sbnation.com/
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[Note by Wil Cantrell, 10/30/09 8:13 AM PDT ]
Also of note from the audio:
- (At about 3 minutes): Amare "hated" taking charges in the past because they hurt, but realizes there is an "art" to it now. The key he says is getting to the spot early thereby staying away from the "knees and elbows."
- Gentry noted that he was very pleased with the bench play, including Dragic and Dudley helped bring the team back. He also noted that he was happy with Clark's defensive performance but that he has to consistently make that 18 foot shot. Gentry downplayed Lopez's loss, stating, "He's not Kareem," and he shouldn't feel the pressure to play "38 minutes" when he returns. Gentry also commented on the last play of the game where he chose not to foul and let the Clips take a 3. He noted the time left (25 seconds), and that he'd rather attempt to make the defensive stop than put someone on the line.
- Dragic felt confident about his performance stating, "I played great." He emphasized the importance of his confidence and that good practices equate to good performances during the game. He is having much more fun than last year, working with Dan Majerle is helping him a lot.