The Phoenix Suns joined the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings in a three team trade at the trade deadline. Thomas Robinson went to Houston. Marcus Morris and Patric Patterson were dealt from Houston to Phoenix. Marcus will reunite with his twin brother Markieff in the desert. Houston got Patterson, then sent him, Toney Douglas, and Cole Aldrich to Sacramento to complete the transaction. This is another trade to help the Suns long term, as there is no helping the team this season, and no reason to do so. Don't worry Suns fans. The worst is almost behind you.

2/13/14: The experts are not always right. Most picked the 49ers to win the Super Bowl…WRONG. Most figured the Lakers could be penciled in for the NBA finals…WRONG. Most also picked the Suns to be near the bottom of the league. OK, so they are not always wrong. Through 52 games, the Suns are 17-35, and are making plane reservations to the lottery drawing. This was inevitable after losing Steve Nash and allowing the roster to rot. Of course, this could be part of the master plan. The only way to get good in a market not named Miami, New York, or Los Angeles is to get some top draft picks and rebuild.

11/29/12: Dwight Howard's former backup in Orlando, Marcin Gortat, rejected an extension offer from the Phoenix Suns. Gortat has two years left on his contract, at about $7 million per year. The Suns could only offer him two new years with a modest raise, about $500,000 per year. Several other centers in the same talent range are making over $10 million per year, so Gortat is opting to wait until his deal is expired before he signs on for any more years. In other news, the Suns outlasted the Cavs, improving to 7-8 on the young season.

11/22/12: Alvin Gentry showed off his coaching chops this week in a 114-97 dominant win over Portland. The Suns controlled the game from start to finish, as Gentry kept finding the right guys to bring energy to the Suns as well as complications to the Trail Blazers. The win pushed the team record to 5-7. While under .500, it is probably a bit better than most people expected. And while it is still early, the Suns are out of the cellar and may prove to be a middle of the pack team in the West this season.

11/15/12: Phoenix tallied a nice victory over the Denver Nuggets, winning 110-100 despite allowing Denver to shoot 55% from the floor. Phoenix is not likely to get into many defense battles this season unless the NBA decides to abandon the shot clock (not likely), but some nights they can put up big numbers themselves. But this game was won on the offensive boards. The Suns had a +6 offensive rebounding advantage, and that led to 18 additional shots. Point guard Goran Dragic had his best game of the year, as the Suns improved to 4-4, and only 1.5 games behind the Clippers in the Pacific Division.

11/8/12: Phoenix, unfortunately, is proving the experts right so far. The Suns were picked by many to be at or near the cellar this season, and that is exactly where they are with a 1-3 record. That the Suns were routed by the defending champion Miami Heat was not surprising. It was far worse that they allowed the Orlando Magic (now without Dwight Howard) to have their way in a 115-94 loss. Phoenix has a lot of room to improve, particularly on the defensive end. If the season progresses like this, expect the Suns to take a defensive specialist with lottery pick next summer.

11/1/12: Michael Beasley went to Kansas State under a cloud of suspicion that he illegally recruited to USC. He played one year in Manhattan before turning pro as the second overall pick in 2008. But he was not mature enough as a person or a player for that type of role. Now in his fifth season and third NBA team, he believes that he has grown and is ready to show his true abilities with Phoenix. This would be a welcome development for the Suns who are expected to be at or near the bottom of the standings this year. If Beasley does blossom and the Suns falter, then Beasely plus a lottery pick could equal success in the dessert for many years.

10/18/12: Head coach Alvin Gentry says his practices are getty 'snippy'. While not a real word, he is implying that players are competing and trying to outdo each other as the season nears. That's good news for Suns fans. Fans will also get a glimpse against top competition as the team embarks on preseason trip to play at Dallas and Oklahoma City. He also mentioned that small forward Michael Beasley will get some time at power forward, which may be a harbinger for things to come during the regular season by forcing the opposing team to post their power forward on the perimeter against the long-range specialist.

10/4/12: As the longtime point guard for the Suns, Steve Nash provided all the defense that could be expected from him - though the rest of the team never seemed to buy into the 'stop the other guy from scoring' philosophy. But this years version of the Desert Cagers should be different, should be better defensively. Between new additions Goran Dragic (ok, so he is a reacquision), Wesley Johnson, and Jermaine O'Neil, the Suns should tighten up in their own zone, so they are not forced to score 120 a night. A new idea in the desert.

8/16/12: When you are the only game in town, it would seem that there would be some demand to get the local arena naming rights. Many would guess that the Kings play in ARCO Arena. That would be wrong. It is actually named Power Balance Pavillion. Power Balance is bankrupt, and joins other luminous organizations that owned naming rights but were essentially out of business (looking at you Enron and Pro Player). So the Kings are trying to sell the naming rights. So there is a good chance that the 2012-13 Kings will be playing in the Sleep Train Mattress Center. Which may actually be worse than the Amway Centre in Orlando.

8/2/12: Upheaval in the desert. Rick Welts left the Suns last November after a decade with Suns, and Brad Casper was named team president. Welts took the Chief Operating Officer job with Golden State a few days later. Now, Casper has resigned from the president's role as well. While he cited job pressures and other business interests, many believe it was not a good fit. Suns COO Jason Rawley has added the president's title as well. The Suns are adding a throwback jersey this year - the old black unis with the Sunburst logo that the team wore in its heyday with Charles Barkley and Kevin Johnson.

7/26/12: Goran Dragic reunited with the Suns with a 4 year/$30 million contract not too long after the Suns traded him to Houston. But Houston was good for Dragic, as he started 28 games and regularly got 30-35 minutes per night. The additional work served him well, as he has returned a more confident man, ready to take a leadership position on the team now that Steve Nash has gone to the Lakers. Dragic changed his number from #2 to #1, which he feels better exemplifies his position and leadership. Its too early to tell yet, but he may have matured into the player the Suns wanted a few years ago.

5/23/12: The Suns are playing a dangerous game of chicken with their star guard Steve Nash. Phoenix had a chance to trade him as a rental for a contender during the season, but instead decided to hold on to the ageless Canadian. Nash could opt to retire or leave, meaning Phoenix could get nothing for their greatest asset - just like what happened with Amar'e Stoudemire two years ago. However, the NBA is different from other leagues. It may be better to get nothing than a handful of average assets. They would save on salaries, be terrible, and have a real shot at a high lottery pick to rebuild.

5/15/12: While Steve Nash ponders his future - re-upping with the Suns, signing elsewhere, or just retiring and concentrating on his duites as the GM of the Canadian National Team, our favorite Canuck cager was awarded the Magic Johnson Award by the Professional Basketball Writers Association for excellence in his field combined with cooperation with fans and media. Overshadowed by Nash was the possibility of Grant Hill having played his last game, either as a Sun or at all. Hill was again hobbled by injuries and hasn't determined his future yet. Hill was Phoenix's best wing defender, and likely still has some life left.

5/11/12: While the Suns are home for the playoffs, Steve Nash has found a little sidework to occupy his free time. Nash was named general manager of the Canandian Mens basketball team, and will be responsible for organizing the squad and raising financing. Nash's goal is to compete in the 2016 Olympic Games. Canada did not qualify for the 2012 London Games and has not made the Olympic tournament since 2000. Two near term goals are raising money and hiring a coach. Nash is still technically with the Suns, but with an expiring contract and 15 years of NBA service, he may opt to leave or retire.

5/3/12: Phoenix finished three games out of the playoffs with a 33-33 record. The team was in playoff contention until the final few weeks of the season, when they went into an untimely slide; losing five of their last seven games. The shortened season was tough on the team. Not only did they fail to qualify for the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time since 1988, they also failed to sellout any home games since 1992. The Suns will have the 13th overall pick in the draft, and can clearly use some defensive help after finishing the season 21st in points allowed.

4/24/12: Phoenix suffered a devastating loss to Denver on Saturday 118-107 in a defense-optional game. Steve Nash moved into fifth place all time in career assists with 9,888, ahead of Oscar Robertson. But the real story was Denver's three-point shooting - hitting 6 of their first 8 to break the game open. The loss to Denver essentially made the Tuesday matchup with the Jazz a play-in game. Phoenix kept the game close and contained Al Jefferson for three quarters. However, Jefferson came alive in the fourth quarter and the Suns fell 100-88. The loss eliminated Phoenix from playoff contention in this shortened season.

4/18/12: One-half game separates Utah, Houston, and Phoenix - and that is good for basketball fans: Teams with a secured playoff spot are resting starters (especially prevalent in this compacted season), and teams out of the playoffs are not putting up any fight as they clamor for lottery positon. The Suns, however, are competing - and they need to. Phoenix finishes the season with home games against OKC, Clippers, and Denver; at Utah; then home again for San Antonio. The Suns are playing their best ball of the year, winning 7 of their last 10, as they make their playoff push.

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