[Note by Phoenix Stan, 11/11/09 7:47 PM MST ]
Coach Gentry Pregame Notes:
- Asked about a match-up like Paul and Nash Gentry said it is fun for the fans but not so much for the coaches that have to figure out how to stop those guys
- His biggest surprise so far is the rebounding. He credits Hill and Richardson for doing really well and Frye and Amare for "holding their own". Said that Suns are never going to be great OReb team but try and limit the other team's OReb's
- Plan all along has been to have the defense tighten up in the last 5 or 6 minutes of games and Gentry is happy with that on the road trip
- Being 7-1 is better than the other option but he once again said it's going to take 20 or 25 games to know where this team really is
- Asked if the Suns can continue with such a high 3P% Coach said the Suns can be in the mid 40's if teams don't adjust and take away those open looks (which would create more space in the lane)
- Amare is getting better and better each game but still has another level to go to. Gentry again praised his effort and stated that simplifying the defense has helped since there are fewer decisions to make
- Richardson is much more comfortable and not deferring and not concerned if he puts up 20 shots
- Coach pointed out that the Suns were a better free throw shooting team with Shaq. Go figure
- Talking about Dudley's ability to play guys tight and defend smaller, quicker players Gentry joked that they don't know how he does it either. He said Dudley is very smart and gets more out of his abilities than pretty much anyone he (Coach) has seen
- Dudley has figured out that if his man doesn't have the ball he can't hurt him so he does a great job on ball denial
- Talking about the Suns' fast break, Gentry praised Nash and Hill's creativity and said that Nash has a way of making coaches look good
Sorry folks. Busy day so no preview and I can't make it to shoot around either. Life, etc....
Here's some links to tide you over and feel free to drop in some previews in the comments throughout the day and we can mash them up.
Besides, what else is there to say? Chris Paul has torches the Suns over the past two years. Of course he's torching everyone this season and the Hornets are still only 3-5 so stay home on their shooters and let CP3 score but not get everyone else involved.
[Note by Phoenix Stan, 11/11/09 1:58 PM MST ]
Shoot around interviews via Suns.com
(you will note that Coach Gentry's game plan against Paul is the same as mine above which was posted hours earlier proving without a doubt that the Phoenix Suns get all their basketball advise right here, from Bright Side of the Sun!)
Pregame Links
- Hornets vs Suns coverage
- Hornets vs Suns preview
- At The Hive
- azcentral.com - Suns Hornets preview
- New Orleans Hornets looking to keep newfound vibe against hot Phoenix Suns | New Orleans Hornets Central - - NOLA.com
- Shaquille O'Neal, wife splitting up - USATODAY.com
Shaquille O'Neal's wife is splitting from the Cleveland Cavaliers center. - Nash keeps showing up skeptics as Suns win agaim - USATODAY.com
Steve Nash heard the whispers in the offseason. He chose to ignore them. - Phoenix Suns going back to the basics -- latimes.com
"We're back to basically doing what we did," said Gentry, referring to the seven seconds or less offense the Suns ran under former Phoenix Coach Mike D'Antoni. "We put in a couple of spins that I thought would help our team personally. But for the most part, we're doing what we did." - Green Street " House Stays Hot with the Suns
- Notes: Suns' Kerr sees team bonding
Frye is going through a process that all new Suns shooters have battled - turning down shots the coaches want him to take. Is Frye OK with firing away after misses? "Heck, no," Frye said. "They have to yell at me about it. I was 2 for 6 (to start Sunday's game), and I felt like the whole Earth was crashing down. They were like, 'Channing, keep shooting.' "I'm still working through it. I think ahead of myself. When I drove and nobody collapsed, I was like, 'Dang, now I have to shoot it,' instead of being aggressive. That's something I'll get progressively better at."
[Note by Phoenix Stan, 11/11/09 11:37 AM MST ]
From our friends at Sports 620 KTAR we have four radio interviews from the last two days (funny what winning does to media coverage)..
Steve Kerr
Alvin Gentry
Alvin Gentry
Radio Broadcaster Tim Kempton
Enjoy...
[Note by Phoenix Stan, 11/11/09 12:52 PM MST ]
More audio from Sports 620 KTAR from today's shoot around. Nash talking about chemistry and Gentry once again saying it's too soon to judge this team.
Shoot around audio (Nash and Gentry)
[Note by Phoenix Stan, 11/11/09 3:58 PM MST ]
Missed these links earlier...
-
Looking at Steve Nash (oh, and Chris Paul Obviously) - At The Hive
Chris Paul and the Hornets visit Steve Nash tomorrow. A look at why Nash has been so good. -
Why do advanced statistics hate Kobe Bryant? Part 1 - Silver Screen and Roll
The ultimate discussion on Kobe Bryant and advanced statistics. (As someone just now trying to wrap his head around advanced statistics, I love this article on the apparent disconnect between Kobe's undeniable prowess and advanced stats' inability to convey this.... or something like that.)