Cleveland Cavaliers

DO THE SUNS NEED KJ ANYMORE?

CONTENDERS NO MORE

TAKING NOTE OF THE SUNS

GO WEST, YOUNG PAY-PER-VIEWERLIVING BACK EAST HAS ITS DRAWBACKS, BUT PAYING TO WATCH YOUR NBA TEAM ON TV ISN'T ONE OF THEM

Pic Hits for the week

Flashes

Is Anybody Listening?

Beyond Arizona, musicians rave about it, but the Phoenix Symphony, at 50, plays to half-empty houses at home. Can its new maestro, Hermann Michael, fill the seats?

This Week's Day-by–Day Picks

Beyond Arizona, musicians rave about it, but the Phoenix Symphony, at 50, plays to half-empty houses at home. Can its new maestro, Hermann Michael, fill the seats?

Hello, Cleveland!

A pseudo-Michael Stipe shares what's on his MP3 player

Pray for a Miracle: Lakers at Suns Tonight

We were listening to a sports-radio roundtable recently, and the panelists were picking their faves to win the NBA title. Boston again. Good bet. San Antonio. Yeah, but only if Manu Ginobli gets healthy and back to full speed. New Orleans. With Chris Paul in charge, check. Here’s where it gets ... More >>

Rocky Mountain High: Denver Nuggets at Phoenix Suns Saturday Night

Ah, chemistry.  In the NBA, acquiring talent and getting your talent to properly combust are the real tricks of the trade. But what looks good on the drawing board -- like, say, the Denver Nuggets' pairing of body-modified human pinball machines Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson (see image be ... More >>

All the Young Dudes: Phoenix Suns vs. Indiana Pacers Tonight

Though they've been hauling the boat anchor in the Eastern Conference's Central Division all year, the Indiana Pacers -- including third-year superstar-in-the-making Danny Granger (pictured above) -- aren't your prototypical NBA doormat. Another year (two, max) and Indiana Coach Jim O'Bri ... More >>

The Pistons and The Palace Await the Struggling Suns on Sunday, After Tonight's Rematch With Golden State

Home of the Pistons: The Palace at Auburn Hills For Phoenix Suns fans, there have been some stomachache-inducing moments this season. The disheartening blowouts in Boston and Charlotte. The heartbreaker on Christmas Day against San Antonio. However, the team's official fall into bottomless pit of a ... More >>

Will the Suns Turn the So-So Sixers Into a Beast From the East Tonight?

Andre Iguodala ain't Dr. J, but he gets by. The Philadelphia 76ers are mediocre, with a dollop of turmoil. Former head coach Maurice Cheeks, one of the franchise's all-time greats, got the bum's rush back in December. Their marquee name, Elton Brand, is out for the rest of the season with a ... More >>

How Much Garbage Time Can We Stand? Phoenix Suns Get Blown Out by Philly

We knew to expect the worst when Suns broadcasters harped from the beginning of the game that the team got into Philadelphia at past 2 a.m. Monday after their victory over the  Pistons in Detroit Sunday night You know, the old back-to-back road games bugaboo. ... More >>

As Good As It Gets: Phoenix Suns Face King James and his Cleveland Cavaliers Tonight

Coming to a big screen near you: LeBron James (center in white) and the Cleveland Cavaliers At first, this blog was going to chronicle the sudden resurgence of the Phoenix Suns, who instilled a little hope with a modest two-game winning streak (hey, they gotta start somewhere) that included an imp ... More >>

2009 NBA All-Star Game: Defense (For a Change), Jumpshots, and Forced Drama

Kobe and Shaq are once again BFF. Awwww. The only thing the sports media love more than a good feud is a half-assed gesture to end it under meaningless circumstances. So it was that Kobe and Shaq were forced to awkwardly hoist a trophy together at the 2009 NBA All-Star game, just as they did ... More >>

Amar'e Stoudemire Scores 42 in Phoenix Suns' Second-Night-in-a-Row Rout of Clippers

The once-again run-and-gun Phoenix Suns looked great again Wednesday night, scoring 140 points or more for the second game in a row against the dog-ass Los Angeles Clippers. This time, the score was 142-119, and supposedly on-the-trading-block Amar'e Stoudemire scored 42 points of that and ... More >>

Okay, Stoudemire's Staying With the Phoenix Suns, and so's Shaq -- at Least for the Remainder of the Season

The NBA trade deadline passed at 1 p.m. today with no Phoenix Suns players moved -- not even Amar'e Stoudemire (whose departure seemed all but a done deal last week). Suns brass had been admitting for a month that they were entertaining trade offers for every member of the team e ... More >>

Math Test: Phoenix Suns Face Must-Win Game Against Dallas Mavericks Tonight

www.nba.com Dirk Nowitzki: Could another choke job be forthcoming? By the time a must-win game for the Phoenix Suns rolls around, we're usually breaking out the sunscreen and decorating the Maypole. This year, desperation's come early. In the race for the Western Conference playoffs, the Su ... More >>

Supermen of La Mancha: Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James, Mo Williams Visit Phoenix Suns Tonight

www.nba.com Mo Williams: Finally, a worthy sidekick for LeBron. Following the Phoenix Suns' figurative demise in their do-or-die game versus the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night, the dudes in orange have about as much chance of making the playoffs as did Don Quixote of slaying a windmill. B ... More >>

Phoenix Suns Can Possibly Enjoy Some Fun Times for a Change in Cupcake City This Weekend

www.nba.comNenad Krstic of the Oklahoma City Thunder What do the Phoenix Suns have left to play for, following their epic, disheartening, and potentially playoff killing losing streak? If the Suns catch fire and the Mavs majorly choke, perhaps a postseason berth, a not-impossible-but-improbable sc ... More >>

Mo Better

www.nba.comNenad Krstic of the Oklahoma City Thunder What do the Phoenix Suns have left to play for, following their epic, disheartening, and potentially playoff killing losing streak? If the Suns catch fire and the Mavs majorly choke, perhaps a postseason berth, a not-impossible-but-improbable sc ... More >>

All-Star Schedule

www.nba.comNenad Krstic of the Oklahoma City Thunder What do the Phoenix Suns have left to play for, following their epic, disheartening, and potentially playoff killing losing streak? If the Suns catch fire and the Mavs majorly choke, perhaps a postseason berth, a not-impossible-but-improbable sc ... More >>

DON'T BLINK

www.nba.comNenad Krstic of the Oklahoma City Thunder What do the Phoenix Suns have left to play for, following their epic, disheartening, and potentially playoff killing losing streak? If the Suns catch fire and the Mavs majorly choke, perhaps a postseason berth, a not-impossible-but-improbable sc ... More >>

End Game: Phoenix Suns Face an Offseason of Discontent

www.nba.com Many will go. Grant Hill will return. We hope. A mere week into the new season, the Arizona Diamondbacks' top pitcher is on the disabled list with a sore wing and the D-Backs couldn't hit a slow-pitch grapefruit with a two-by-four. You think they've got problems? This year's star ... More >>

Hot Links: Shaq Packs, Doc Prescribes, and Cows Burp

ASU basketball player James Harden worked out for the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. Harden, the PAC-10 Player of the Year, is expected to be among the top five picks in tonight's NBA draft...the Phoenix Suns traded Shaquille O'Neal to the Cleveland Cavaliers the day before the draft. In ... More >>

The Big Cactus Becomes the Big Abandoned Steel Mill. Good for Cleveland, but It Leaves Us with Zilch

www.nba.com O'Neal and King James reunited on the same team, this time for what the Cavs hope is a championship season.So what's Shaq gonna be called now that he's no longer the Big Cactus? Maybe the Big Abandoned Steel Mill or the Big Mistake By the Lake. Actually, O'Neal's trade loo ... More >>

Sheriff Shaq? Former Suns Big Man Applies To Be Deputized in Cleveland

www.dimemag.com​Shaquille O'Neal, the "Big Shaquisition" as he is now being called by Cavs fans, is hoping to become a deputized police officer in Ohio as he was in Florida, Virginia, and of course, Arizona.After being traded from the Suns to the Cavs back in June, Shaq has applied to become a spe ... More >>

The Streak's Over: Even Ex-Sun Matt Barnes Looked Like an All-Star in Phoenix's Blowout Road Loss to Magic

NBA.com Dwight Howard doing his Superman impression at the All-Star Game.It was only a matter of time. Yeah, the Phoenix Suns were 4-0 going into last night's game with Superman and the Orlando Magic -- the man of steel being everybody's favorite basketball star nowadays, Dwight Howard. ... More >>

Suns Trounce Minnesota Timberwolves, Toronto Raptors Over the Weekend. Up Next: The Ailing New York Knicks on Tuesday

Jason Richardson posted back-to-back 22 point performances this weekend against the Timberwolves and Raptors.​Steve Nash left a rather interesting tweet on his Twitter account over the weekend, and it was directed towards pal and Toronto Raptors star Chris Bosh.It simply stated, "see u above the r ... More >>

Suns Walloped by Lowly New York Knicks. Up Next: Cleveland Cavaliers

www.nba.com/sunsAlando Tucker notches 14 points upon being reactivated.​Well, this wasn't totally unexpected: a red-hot Suns team rolling over most every team in its path, playing one of the NBA's biggest go-nowhere teams . . . and losing. At 14-3 heading into Tuesday night's game against the New ... More >>

Suns Get Blown Out for Second Night in Row, This Time by LeBron James and Cavs. Next UP: Sacramento on Saturday

nba.com LeBron and Shaq dominate Suns.​Are the Suns who we thought they were before the season got going? Certainly hope not, but after two blowout losses in as many nights, we're beginning to wonder. Sure, the 107-90 road loss last night to one of the top teams in the NBA, the C ... More >>

King James

Up your cool cred by seeing LeBron and the Cavs

Hot Links: UA's Nuclear Reactor, Salvation Army, and Circles

​The University of Arizona plans to shut down its nuclear reactor by mid-2010. The license for the 51-year-old reactor, used for research, expires next year, and Director John Williams says it isn't used enough to warrant a vigorous re-licensing process with the Nuclear Reg ... More >>

Least of the East

Suns take on talented but struggling Bucks

Phoenix Suns Roar Past Memphis Grizzlies. Next Up: Dallas Mavericks Tonight

www.nba.com/sunsJason Richardson (left) and Amar'e Stoudemire combined for 48 points on Tuesday. ​ Amar'e Stoudemire won't be wearing a Phoenix Suns uniform for very much longer, if the current maelstrom of trade rumors prove to be true. With a little over 24 hours to go until the NBA trading de ... More >>

Amar'e Stoudemire Trade Talk Swirls, as Phoenix Suns Drop Road Game to Dallas Mavericks; Up Next: Atlanta Hawks

Amar'e Stoudemire: 30 points in his possible Suns finale. ​If the Phoenix Suns' game Wednesday night against the Dallas Mavericks was the last game with Amar'e Stoudemire in a Suns uniform, at least the All-Star went out with a bang. Stoudemire scored 30 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the ... More >>

It's Official: Amar'e Stoudemire Is Staying Put

Amar'e ain't going anywhere.​The NBA trade deadline passed mere moments ago and Amar'e Stoudemire is still a member of the Phoenix Suns. Yeah, we know you've heard rumor after endless rumor this week about how the Phoenix Suns superstar was getting a one-way ticket to either Cleveland or Mi ... More >>

NBA Wants Radio Edit of "Empire State Of Mind" During Free Agency Period, Threatens To Sanction Nets Owner Jay-Z

​NBA commissioner David Stern has asked rapper Jay-Z -- a part owner of the New Jersey Nets franchise -- to release an edited version of his hit song "Empire State of Mind" to be played during the league's free agency period this summer.The issue is a verse of the hit song where hip-hop star born ... More >>

Robin Lopez Scrimmages With Suns; 7-Footer Getting Ready to Play Against Los Angeles Lakers

www.fanster.com Phoenix Suns big-man Robin Lopez.​ The basketball gods seem to like Phoenix.It's reported that Phoenix Suns big-man Robin Lopez will play -- in some capacity -- in game one of the NBA Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers, beginning Monday at 6 p ... More >>

Morning Poll: Will LeBron James Join Amare Stoudemire in New York?

www.bettorsedge.com​Big ups to NBA super-duper star LeBron James for exploiting his stardom for a good cause. As you probably know, King James will announce tonight where he'll hang his size 16 sneakers and he's making the announcement during an hour-long special on ESPN -- the proceeds fro ... More >>

Larry Fitzgerald Sticks Up for LeBron James in Twitter-Town

​The soap opera that is the LeBron James free-agency saga should have come to an end yesterday when King James announced his plans to sign with the Miami Heat but within hours of the uber-hyped announcement, Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert threw some new fuel on the fire with some comments h ... More >>

Lance Blanks Named As New General Manager Of Phoenix Suns

hoopslibrary.comThe Suns finally have a new GM​ The Phoenix Suns have finally named their General Manager. Lance Blanks, a former NBA player and experienced front-office executive, was named to the position yesterday afternoon. Blanks, 43, was the 26th overall pick in the 1990 NBA Draft and al ... More >>

Lake Superior

Suns open regular season against (grrr) Kobe and crew

Phoenix Suns Rebound with Overtime Win Against New Jersey Nets

www.nba.com/sunsSteve Nash: Scored 10 points in overtime to save his Suns.​The Phoenix Suns have let a lot of games slip away from them recently, but they refused to let that happen in Wednesday night's home 118-109 win over the New Jersey Nets. Sure, it took an extra five minutes to nail this one ... More >>

Two Teams in Opposite Directions: Phoenix Suns Extend Win Streak as Cleveland Cavs Continue Down Slippery Slope of Failure

www.nba.comSteve Nash defies anatomy on his playoff quest.​The Suns needed a win last night to keep their momentum and playoff hopes alive. But on a day when they announced next season's ticket prices and incentives for ticket-holders to renew in the next month, they needed a more convincing victo ... More >>

Easy Does it For Phoenix Suns Against Golden State Warriors; Suns Face Real Test Tonight

nba.com/sunsSuns reach .500. Will consistency follow?​The Phoenix Suns reached .500 for the first time since December 19 yesterday, beating the hapless Golden State Warriors 112-88 at the US Airways Arena. Planet Orange opened up a can of whoopass on the Warriors right from the beginning, at one ... More >>

ASU Men's Basketball Desperate For Win--But Unlikely To Get It Tonight Vs Washington

First, we note that the lowly Cleveland Cavs somehow beat the two-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers last night in what has to rank as the sports upset of this new year. A real stunner. ASU coach Herb Sendek needs help from the basketball gods ​For the ASU Sun Devils to beat a ... More >>

Tempe Police Allowed Shaquille O’Neal to Play Cop by Giving Him Secret Info on Software Used to Detect Kiddy Porn

First, we note that the lowly Cleveland Cavs somehow beat the two-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers last night in what has to rank as the sports upset of this new year. A real stunner. ASU coach Herb Sendek needs help from the basketball gods ​For the ASU Sun Devils to beat a ... More >>