Suns Far From Ready for Regular Season

Filed under: Suns, NBA Press Box, NBA Preseason

PHOENIX -- The Suns had hoped to use the final game of their preseason to get a decent look at their starting unit before opening night, and to see some semblance of progress with the team's regular rotations. Instead, what they got was a crushing 144-106 loss at the hands of a Denver Nuggets team that was without the majority of its key players.

"It's an alarming thing," coach Alvin Gentry said of the blowout at the hands of the Nuggets' reserves. "But it's something that we've got to solve, and solve it soon. We've got three days to do it."

Three days, that is, until the regular season begins. But this loss only hammers home the point that's been evident for some time now during the exhibition season: The Suns are a long way from being a cohesive unit that's ready to compete at anywhere near the level they did last year.

Now, Phoenix wasn't quite at full strength itself for this one -- Hedo Turkoglu, a member of the starting five, was given the night off, and Josh Childress -- another new addition who's received regular minutes as part of the second unit -- was out with a broken finger. But with Denver resting Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Al Harrington and Nene, it's tough to find excuses for a loss like this, especially when guys like Shelden Williams, Anthony Carter and Gary Forbes combine to score 72 points.

 

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Source: http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/10/23/suns-far-from-ready-for-regular-season/

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