G-Nob
03-09-2006, 01:27 PM
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/0309suns0309.html
Injuries force Suns to be creative
Doug Haller
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 9, 2006 12:00 AM
Steve Nash has a sprained ankle that could keep him in street clothes tonight. Tim Thomas and Shawn Marion are sick.
The Suns scrimmaged 5-on-5 Wednesday, but three players - Amaré Stoudemire, Brian Grant and Nikoloz Tskitishvili - were doing so for the first time in weeks, if not months.
In addition, James Jones was still recovering from a right foot injury. advertisement
In times like these, with the defending champion Spurs in town, Grant thinks it's wise to think of Coach Mike D'Antoni as a wizard, mixing his potions, trying to find a solution.
"A lot of teams got one shelf of potions, and that's all they can use," he said. "But here, (D'Antoni's) got three or four shelves of potions that he can always mix and match. Right now, the shelves are a little bare because of injuries, but still, even with what he has left, there's enough there to make some powerful magic."
So the Suns move on, trying to add to an 11-game winning streak, the longest active string in the NBA and tied for the second longest in franchise history.
Nash hasn't ruled out playing tonight. He sat out Wednesday's practice, allowing the right ankle he sprained against the Hornets time to heal. His availability probably won't be determined until just before tip-off.
D'Antoni hopes Marion and Thomas are better. Marion started feeling lousy earlier this week; Thomas seemed to catch the flu bug Tuesday. Both arrived for practice Wednesday but were sent home.
That left interesting lineups for the scrimmage, the first full-court efforts for Grant and Stoudemire, both recovering from serious knee injuries.
Stoudemire teamed with Eddie House, Andre Barrett, Tskitishvili and Grant. He guarded Boris Diaw on defense, moving horizontally with ease. On offense, he scored on a put-back and short hook, both earning applause from Assistant General Manager David Griffin.
"The only thing was when I started to make a strong move, I felt a little stiffness, and when I came down and landed, (I felt) a little stiffness," Stoudemire said.
Bigger tests are coming.
"(Wednesday) wasn't really a full day of busting out, so it wasn't too bad, Stoudemire said. "But I'm pretty sure once we really get the 5-on-5 going and really get up and down, it's going to get a little tough for me."
Grant expects the same, but his return may be just a week or two away. Wearing white socks stretched to his knees and an orange head band - "I had my Eddie House look going on," he said - Grant was active but rusty.
"What bothered me was just the hand-eye coordination," he said. "I could shoot, I could run, I could even go get rebounds. But if I was cutting and I had to make a quick decision to catch or pass the ball, I was slow."
The Suns have an eight-game cushion in the Pacific Division with 23 to play. D'Antoni doesn't intend to rest anyone for the playoffs anytime soon. If they're able, they compete.
"(Feeling) comfortable is when mathematically (no one) can catch us," he said. "There's no formula. You just go by your gut. You try to rest them up as much as you can without disrupting what you have."
In other words: "Business as usual," he said.
Injuries force Suns to be creative
Doug Haller
The Arizona Republic
Mar. 9, 2006 12:00 AM
Steve Nash has a sprained ankle that could keep him in street clothes tonight. Tim Thomas and Shawn Marion are sick.
The Suns scrimmaged 5-on-5 Wednesday, but three players - Amaré Stoudemire, Brian Grant and Nikoloz Tskitishvili - were doing so for the first time in weeks, if not months.
In addition, James Jones was still recovering from a right foot injury. advertisement
In times like these, with the defending champion Spurs in town, Grant thinks it's wise to think of Coach Mike D'Antoni as a wizard, mixing his potions, trying to find a solution.
"A lot of teams got one shelf of potions, and that's all they can use," he said. "But here, (D'Antoni's) got three or four shelves of potions that he can always mix and match. Right now, the shelves are a little bare because of injuries, but still, even with what he has left, there's enough there to make some powerful magic."
So the Suns move on, trying to add to an 11-game winning streak, the longest active string in the NBA and tied for the second longest in franchise history.
Nash hasn't ruled out playing tonight. He sat out Wednesday's practice, allowing the right ankle he sprained against the Hornets time to heal. His availability probably won't be determined until just before tip-off.
D'Antoni hopes Marion and Thomas are better. Marion started feeling lousy earlier this week; Thomas seemed to catch the flu bug Tuesday. Both arrived for practice Wednesday but were sent home.
That left interesting lineups for the scrimmage, the first full-court efforts for Grant and Stoudemire, both recovering from serious knee injuries.
Stoudemire teamed with Eddie House, Andre Barrett, Tskitishvili and Grant. He guarded Boris Diaw on defense, moving horizontally with ease. On offense, he scored on a put-back and short hook, both earning applause from Assistant General Manager David Griffin.
"The only thing was when I started to make a strong move, I felt a little stiffness, and when I came down and landed, (I felt) a little stiffness," Stoudemire said.
Bigger tests are coming.
"(Wednesday) wasn't really a full day of busting out, so it wasn't too bad, Stoudemire said. "But I'm pretty sure once we really get the 5-on-5 going and really get up and down, it's going to get a little tough for me."
Grant expects the same, but his return may be just a week or two away. Wearing white socks stretched to his knees and an orange head band - "I had my Eddie House look going on," he said - Grant was active but rusty.
"What bothered me was just the hand-eye coordination," he said. "I could shoot, I could run, I could even go get rebounds. But if I was cutting and I had to make a quick decision to catch or pass the ball, I was slow."
The Suns have an eight-game cushion in the Pacific Division with 23 to play. D'Antoni doesn't intend to rest anyone for the playoffs anytime soon. If they're able, they compete.
"(Feeling) comfortable is when mathematically (no one) can catch us," he said. "There's no formula. You just go by your gut. You try to rest them up as much as you can without disrupting what you have."
In other words: "Business as usual," he said.