November Recap
W-L Record: Nov (9-5), Overall (11-5)
Power Ranking: 25thAfter their epic first encounter with RotY frontrunner,
Blake Griffin, the Suns went on to win 8 of their next 12 games for a surprising 11-5 overall start after the month of November, thanks in large part to the revitalized play of bigman,
Amar'e Stoudemire.
However, many skeptics attribute the Suns early success to a friendly schedule which pit Phoenix against many .500 or under teams and not the league's elites; two losses to the upcoming Blazers and revamped Pistons only served to strengthen their doubts.
Sidelined ten days after aggravating an old bone-spur related injury, high-flying
Jason Richardson made his return to the hardwood on Nov 15th in a thrilling 119-116 road win against the young and hungry Wolves; but it was veteran teammate,
Steve Nash, who stole the show when Nash ran down the clock with possession at 22.5 seconds, then drained a clutch, game-winning three with 1.3 remaining.
Days following Nash's heroics in Minnesota, the Suns were dealt a tough loss against the young and talented Blazers despite a monstrous 27 point-9 rebound-6 block-performance by Stoudemire. More critical, they would lose reserve PG,
Leandro Barbosa, whose nose was busted by an errant elbow to the face by Amar'e while fighting for possession on a loose ball.
"I feel horrible about this. I just hope Leandro recovers quick; we need him," said Stoudemire after the accident.
Initial estimates put Barbosa on the sidelines for roughly 4 weeks; however, the optimistic Barbosa stressed being able to return to play in half that time with the protection of a plastic face mask.
After the loss to Portland the Suns went on to win three straight before suffering a fluky blowout in a rematch with the Wolves. Frustrated by his team's lack of focus and effort, Amar'e took out his frustrations on
Kevin Love in one of the most vicious left-handed facials of all time, which of course received a roar of "Boos" and rants from the raucous crowd but has become one of NBA's
hottest-selling posters and a sure candidate for this season's Dunk of the Year.
The blowout revealed signs of a thin and fatigued backcourt, prompting Suns GM
Steve Kerr to pursue and successfully sign free agent SG
Tarence Kinsey on Nov 29th to a 1-year, 4.65M contract two days before he was to re-sign with
Fenerbahçe Ülker in Turkey to play overseas in the Euroleague. Kinsey debuted against the Pistons on the 30th but was held scoreless in 6 minutes.
Player Overview
Centers & ForwardsAmar'e Stoudemire C/PF - Anchoring at Center, Stoudemire has returned from off-season eye surgery with a vengeance. The self-proclaimed 'Sun-Tzu' leads Phoenix averaging 23.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and seems hell bent to dismiss critics on his lack of defense with a league-leading 3.25 blocks. Still, until he faces - and wins - against the league's dominant teams and big men, his ability as a War General able to rally the Suns to the next level remains questioned.
Grade: A
Louis Amundson PF/C - Maybe it was the departure of overbearing O'Neal, the resulting increased playing time or the fact that it's a contract year, but Amundson has taken advantage of the moment to post career-high stats doubling last season's production with averages of 7.3 points, 6.7 boards and 1.25 blocks per game. However, with the recent arrival of
Jason Maxiell, Amundson's numbers have gradually declined and his starting PF position will be challenged all season.
Grade: BChanning Frye C/PF - Frye has done a solid job as backup to Stoudemire at Center or filling the Power Forward roll when necessary. He currently leads the Suns in field goal percentage at 74.2% averaging nearly identical stats to last season when Frye played 63 games for Portland.
Grade: C+
Jason Maxiell PF/C - Maxiell was acquired early in the month and is slowly making his impact felt though not threatening to challenge over-achieving Amundson for the starting PF spot just yet. To date, Maxiell's best game with Phoenix has been an 8 point, 5 rebound night against the Nets where he went 4-5 from the floor and also blocked 5 shot attempts.
Grade: CEarl Clark SF/PF - the Louiville rookie has made the most of limited playing time averaging 2.9 ppg and shooting 47% from the field. Early indications of his skills are promising but he'll need to step it up if he's to see more playing time.
Grade: CJared Dudley SF/PF - Dudley's averages are just about where they were a year ago although his field goal percentage has dropped considerably to 34% down from his career average of 47%.
Grade: CGrant Hill SF/SG - At 12.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg and 2.3 apg Grant Hill is also nearly identical to last season's output, however, he's been noticeably gun shy about pulling the three-point trigger often when found wide open by Nash, instead settling to pass or drive in for a closer shot. His 1-8 total three-pointers made and .13% success rate beyond the arc may be the reason why.
Grade: C-The GuardsSteve Nash PG - Nash's scoring is up by 6 points from last season averaging 21.8 ppgs, second on the team only to Amar'e, and his ability to seal games with clutch free throws or dish a timely assist are still some of the team's most valued assets. And while his assists have taken a steep drop from 9.7 last year to just under 5 this season, this is largely due to the steady growth of reserve PGs Leandro Barbosa and Goran Dragic as well as the play-making skills of others like Grant Hill and rookie Gerald Henderson more so than age.
Grade: B+Jason Richardson SG - Richardson has been somewhat of a mixed bag of beans for fans this year, reaggravating a foot injury that kept him sidelined for 10 days and had his numbers dip slightly from last season in turn. Still many have hoped, for someone so athletically gifted (not to mention highly paid at $13.33M annually), this would be the year he takes his game and the team to the next level; but so far he seems only content with maintaining the status quo as has been his track record much of his career. If J-Rich doesn't step up, he may be stepping out before all is said and done.
Grade: C-
Gerald Henderson SG/PG - The trade that acquired Gerald Henderson from Charlotte in the off-season has been
Steve Kerr's saving grace as far as GMs are concerned. A versatile and talented player capable of running the point, scoring off the fake, dribble or spot-up beyond the arc, Henderson is quietly making an NBA name for himself averaging just under 12 ppgs plus one rebound, assist and steal per game off the bench. On par with starter
Jason Richardson at 52% field goal percentage, besting him at 46% vs 42% from behind the arc and eclipsing him at the charity stripe a rock-solid 87% to Richardson's atrocious 65%, Henderson fans are already demanding more playing time if not asking for J-Rich's departure altogether.
Grade: B+Leandro Barbosa PG/SG - Barosa leads the Suns in three-point shooting at 57% from downtown but has shown a slight dip in production from last season due to deeper bench. Still his energy and ability to push the ball up the court and down the throats of the opposition's reserves has been instrumental in Phoenix's early success.
Grade: A-Goran Dragic PG - Dragic's scoring is up by 2 points from last season thanks to the Richardson injury and increased playing time. He's shown slight improvement in both offense and defense but still struggled when facing better PGs around the league like a Bibby, Kidd or Williams. Teams give him all day out on the perimeter where he's shot a reluctant 10%. Not a misprint, 10%.
Grade: C-Tarence Kinsey SG - The most recent Suns acquisition on the 29th of November, Kinsey was played sparingly in Detroit but was a non-factor.
Grade: N/AComplete Boxscores (For the first two games of Nov see previous recaps)Nov 8 - GS @ PHX 97-104 WNov 10 - MEM @ PHX 109-115 WNov 12 - PHX @ NJN 116-94 WNov 13 - OKC @ PHX 124-113 LNov 15 - PHX @ MINN 116-119 WNov 19 - PHX @ POR 118-123 LNov 20 - CHA @ PHX 116-117 WNov 22 - UTA @ PHX 113-121 WNov 24 - NJN @ PHX 90-121 WNov 27- PHX @ MINN 104-123 LNov 28 - UTA @ PHX 109-114 WNov 30 - PHX @ DET 124-130 LLeague OverviewWestern Conference
Eastern Conference
November Players of the MonthWest Rookie -
Blake Griffin 14.1 ppg | 10.8 rpg | 2.5 apg | 2.24 bpg | .71 spg
East Rookie -
Marreese Speights 7.7 ppg | 6.2 rpg | 0.7 apg | 0.86 bpg | .71 spg
West Player -
Carmelo Anthony 22.7 ppg | 9.3 rpg | 5.7 apg | 1.61 bpg | 1.72 spg
East Player -
LeBron James 26.0 ppg | 11.4 rpg | 7.4 apg | 1.69 bpg | 1.44 spg
Additional Transactions (Post Maxiell-Trade)11/29 - The Suns sign T. Kinsey for 4.65M for 1 yr
11/15 - The Pacers sign J. Childress for 43.83M for 6 yrs
11/15 - The T'Wolves release O. Pecherov
11/15 - The T'Wolves sign G. Green for 9.65M for 2 yrs
11/13 - the Grizzlies sign S. Marbury for 66.70 for 6 yrs
11/09 - The Knicks sign D. Johnson for 8.24M for 2 yrs
Looking Ahead
Lakers are 14-1 on 10W and Kobe is not in the race for MVP, that's scary
it's rare you see one that actually lines up so perfectly with the ball and the guys head; I'm not sure who's gonna stand in LA's way during the playoffs but right now it looks like it won't matter 
Bulls are hanging in there; not great, not bad. i'm actually surprised they're doing as well considering they lost Gordon to DET
