Last Updated on December 21, 2011 3:14 pm by admin
(Eds: APNewsNow. Will be updated. With AP Photos.)
By BOB BAUM
AP Sports Writer
PHOENIX (AP) – The Phoenix Suns are giving Steve Nash the ball again, tweaking their lineup, adding a defensive-minded assistant coach and hoping that avoiding the turmoil that disrupted last season will get them back in the playoffs.
With Alvin Gentry entering his third full season as Suns coach, the team will keep pushing a fierce tempo. Scoring points has never been a problem for Phoenix. Stopping the opponent from scoring has.
Gentry has long preached the need for better defense. Now he’s added assistant coach Elston Turner to specifically address that aspect of the game.
With a lineup that features the 37-year-old Nash and 39-year-old Grant Hill, the Suns hope to rely on improved depth to cut down the minutes for everyone in a compacted 66-game season.