Welcome to the Reporters' Notebook archive, your online home for Phoenix Suns news and notes, odds and ends, and all sorts of misc. tidbits worth mentioning from the magical season that was 2004-05.

June 24, 2005: The Suns Gorilla has been dazzling fans for over two decades with his high-flying acrobatics. However, the top-rated mascot in all of sports has reached new heights, even for him. Go flew through the air with the greatest of ease for a video promoting the NBA Finals. CLICK HERE to watch the entire "Crazy for the Finals" video.

June 10, 2005: With a certain wild-haired Spurs guard on the cover, it's understandible why we never cracked open the June 6 edition of ESPN the Magazine until now. So our apologies to Jimmy Jackson for not immediately catching the feature on the Suns swingman. The story traces J-Jax's numerous addresses in his 13-year NBA career and includes a bunch of quotes from former teammates and head coaches -- and also the thoughts of his current head coach.

"Nobody can figure out why he keeps moving around," Mike D'Antoni said. "It's just a quirk of the business, I guess. All I know is he's been great for us."

June 10, 2005: Like he did all throughout the NBA Playoffs, Amare Stoudemire once again takes "center" stage. This time it's at Bank One Ballpark Saturday night as the All-Star throws out the first pitch before the start of the Diamondbacks-Royals baseball game.

May 23, 2005: The Suns will be without guard Joe Johnson for at least another game in the Western Conference Finals. The 6-7 guard -- who underwent surgery to repair a broken eye socket, suffered in Game 2 of the Semifinals on May 11 -- was re-evaluated on Monday and will be examined again befor the team leaves Friday for Games 3 and 4 in San Antonio.

“Joe has progressed well since his last checkup and is expected to participate in his first full practice with the team Thursday morning,” said Suns President Bryan Colangelo. The Suns will have an off-day Wednesday, following Tuesday night's Game 2 vs. the Spurs (6 p.m., ESPN).

In the 2005 NBA Playoffs, Johnson is averaging 19.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists and leads the league with a .565 three-point field goal percentage (13-23 3FG).

May 21, 2005: ESPN Radio's Dan Patrick interviewed Chris Rock on his popular talk show Friday. The actor/stand-up star promoted his upcoming football comedy The Longest Yard and talked about a variety of sports topics, including Reggie Miller's retirement and former Diamondbacks pitcher, Randy Johnson. But it was a discussion of his own basketball prowess that perked up our ears.

"I can jump, I play some D. I'll pass. You know, I'm Walter McCarty," he said, comparing himself to the Suns' forward. "I'm one of these guys that just knows how to stay on the team.

"Walter McCarty's had a long career with a limited skills set. He plays defense HARD. Can kind of hits the open three. Knows how to get the ball to whoever 'the guy' on the team is. Walter McCarty knew to get the ball to Paul Pierce and now that he's in PHoenix, he knows to get the ball to Steve Nash. Somebody's got to be that guy."

May 20, 2005: Suns guard Joe Johnson has been re-examined and medically cleared to return.

"The swelling has gone down, the laceration on his lip is all healed up," Suns head athletic trainer Aaron Nelson told Suns.com after this morning’s shootaround at the American Airlines Center. "It’s going to be an adjustment period, as far as wearing the mask to take the pressure off that area. He’s got to get used to the mask, he’s got to get his conditioning back. We’ll just go day by day and see how he progresses. He had a concussion, too, and sometimes that can make you a little unstable for a while, so he’s got to get his bearings back."

“This is just step 1 in the process of his return,” Suns President Bryan Colangelo added. “After not playing for the past 10 days, he will need to work on conditioning and timing, not to mention adjusting to playing with the mask. His return to competition will be based on his comfort level. When he feels 100 percent, he’ll return.”

Johnson suffered a displaced orbital fracture and a mild concussion with 19.7 seconds remaining in the second quarter of Game 2 vs. Dallas in the Western Conference Semifinals best-of-seven playoff series on May 11. In the 2005 NBA Playoffs, Johnson is averaging 19.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.2 assists and leads the league with a .565 three-point field goal percentage (13-23 3FG).

May 10, 2005: First it was Shawn Marion. Then Paul Shirley made an appearance. Last week it was Quentin Richardson and his sidekick Brandy laughing it up with the guys from Best Damn Sports Show Period. The parade of Suns continues tonight on FSN Arizona (10:30 p.m.), when the NBA's Coach of the Year Mike D'Antoni will check in to talk about his award and the Suns-Mavs series.

But that's not all. BDSSP host Tom Arnold will be making a trip to America West Arena for Game 2 of the Conference Semifinals Wednesday night, filming a feature for Thursday night's show.

May 6, 2005: Amaré Stoudemire was a guest on Diamondbacks Countdown pre-game show that aired before Thursday's Arizona Diamondbacks-Pittsburgh Pirates game. The Suns' All-Star forward will joined host Todd Walsh live on the field at Bank One Ballpark to talk about the Suns' playoff run and the start to the baseball season.

May 4, 2005: The Suns' succuss continues to draw national media attention. Mike D'Antoni was a guest of Jim Rome's ESPN program, "Rome is Burning," on Tuesday. The Suns' coach talked about Phoenix's first round sweep of the Grizzlies and deftly dodged the issue of Jeff Van Gundy's record fine for comments about officiating.

Later in the day, Quentin Richardson and his fiance, R&B star Brandy, joined the gang on Fox Sports Net's "Best Damn Sports Show Period" via satellite from their Valley home. "Q" talked about his excitement over playing in his first playoffs and welcomed John Salley's offer to give the Suns' swingman the Ice Link watch off his wrist if Phoenix reaches the Finals. "Everybody hear this in the TV audience?" asked Richardson. "I'm going to hold you to it."

Click here to watch the entire interview in streaming video.

May 1, 2005: Although the annual "Memphis in May" music festival is taking place down by the Mississippi River this weekend, most members of the Suns spent their day between playoff games relaxing. Swingman Quentin Richardson hung out at the hotel and forward Shawn Marion enjoyed some dry rubbed ribs at Rendevezous, a local hot spot for barbecue. Owner Robert Sarver, meanwhile, took a trip to Graceland, while All-Star Amare Stoudemire spent his free time at the theater.

"I went and checked out The Amityville Horror," he told Suns.com. "It was pretty scary, man. It was scarier than what I thought. It had a couple of scenes... I don’t normally jump too much in scary movies, but it made me jump a few times. I give it two thumbs up."

April 30, 2005: The Suns' weekend in Memphis is like a homecoming for Bo Outlaw and not just because he spent the 2003-04 season with the Grizzlies. The veteran forward actually lived last year at The Madison Hotel, where the Suns are staying during the First Round of the playoffs. His return has been more than welcomed by the hotel employees, not to mention the residents of Memphis, who stop him every few feet on the street to say "hi!"

"It's pretty cool," said Outlaw. "Memphis supports their guys pretty well. Everyone is like, ‘Bo, how ya doing?’ That’s pretty cool. I think everybody likes that."

April 29, 2005: Mike D'Antoni is knocking soccer off headlines of the most well-read Italian newspapers these days. The Suns' head coach was featured in two of Italy's premiere newspapers recently. D'Antoni was a playing and coaching legend during his days in the Italian League, and holds dual citizenship in the United States and Italy.

April 27, 2005: A week ago Tuesday Steve Nash literally dropped the ball -- and picked up a hockey stick as he took to the ice just a few hours before the start of Hockey Night in Phoenix. Still in his Suns shorts after a practice, the point guard borrowed a Tyson Nash jersey and joined the shootaround at his old center position.

"I like the sport," Nash said. "I’ve played hockey since I was four years old so it was no big deal. I just wanted to go out there for a few minutes."

April 26, 2005: Basketball fans have spoken and if members of the press are of the same mind the Suns will be taking home some hardware as the NBA's awards are announced over the coming weeks. Steve Nash received 35 percent of the vote in NBA.com's fan voting for the Most Valuable Player, while Mike D'Antoni's 24 percent edged out Denver's George Karl for Coach of the Year. Shawn Marion finished second in the voting for Defensive Player of the Year, behind Detroit's Ben Wallace.

April 22, 2005: Suns players are not the only ones garnering national attention for the team's success and playoff anticipation. Fox Sports Net's national sports magazine show, FSN Across America, continues this Sunday, April 24, at 6:30 p.m. on FSN Arizona and is highlighted by a story about the free-spirited Suns owner Robert Sarver. FSN Arizona's Kevin McCabe profiles the first-year owner and University of Arizona graduate as his team gets ready to make a deep run in the NBA Playoffs. The program airs at various times on the other FSN regional sports networks across the country, so consult local listings for times and dates in areas not served by FSN Arizona.

April 15, 2005: For the second time this week, a Suns player will make an appearance on Fox Sports Net's Best Damn Sports Show, Period. Two days after All-Star forward Shawn Marion stopped by the cable sports talk fest, Suns reserve forward Paul Shirley has been added to tonight's guest list (10:30 p.m., FSN AZ). The little-used fourth-year veteran out of Iowa State has drawn national acclaim for his Paul Shirley's Road Ramblings journal on Suns.com.

April 15, 2005: Ballots for the NBA's year-end award selections are not due to the league until next week, but that hasn't stopped the so-called experts from chiming on their picks for the 2004-05 season annual honors. ESPN.com's Mark Stein gives the MVP nod to Suns guard Steve Nash, noting that "having helped Phoenix amass the league's best record, and making other players better as well as anyone does it these days, Nash has to be the choice. Has to be."

While Stein listed Suns Head Coach Mike D'Antoni fourth in a three-man race for Coach of the Year, he does have All-Star forward Shawn Marion coming in third for the Defensive Player of the Year as well as an All-NBA Third Team nod. Amaré Stoudemire was selected by Stein for the All-NBA Second Team selection.

In a polling of ESPN's staffers, D'Antoni received four out of six votes for "COY," Nash three out of six votes for MVP and STAT even picked up one vote for Most Improved Player.

April 7, 2005: Check out the May issue of Hoop Magazine as Suns swingman Jimmy Jackson gets down to business -- his. The 13-year NBA veteran talks about his numerous financial interests, including restaurants, clubs and real estate ventures in the Dallas and Ohio areas.

"Business is something I always wanted to do," Jackson said. "Fortunately, I got hooked up with the right people, who kind of helped me along the way. It's something I really love to do."

April 5, 2005: There was a decidedly Chicago feel inside the Suns' suite at Bank One Ballpark during Monday afternoon's Opening Day Diamondbacks-Cubs game. Shawn Marion and Steven Hunter, both with Chicago ties, were among the group of Suns employees who took in the game, a 16-6 Cubs win. The pair was joined by strength and conditioning coach Erik Phillips, fully clad in a retro Cubs jersey and cap, equipment manager Jay Gaspar, with Cubs hat on head, and assistant athletic trainer Mike Elliott. Suns forward Paul Shirley was also in attendance, but had no serious ties to either club, having grown up a Kansas City Royals fan.

"Cubbies win today, Illinois will win tonight," Marion said of Monday night's NCAA Championship game between the Universities of Illinois and North Carolina. Oh well, Shawn, one out of two isn't bad.

April 4, 2005: Suns forward Walter McCarty returned to practice after missing the last two games to be with wife Erin after the birth of their second daughter on Friday night.

"Baby's doing fine," he said after Monday's workout. "I didn’t sleep at all last night or the night before. This is our second baby, so we’re kind of used to it and know what to expect. The last two days have been really fun. We’ve been blessed and we’re enjoying it."

March 29, 2005: As Tyrone Corbin's 15-year NBA career was winding down in 2001, he always said he wanted to give back to the game. And now the former Suns forward (1987-89) is doing just that as an assistant coach for the Utah Jazz. Working with the front-court players on skill development, Corbin can call on his wealth of court experience which includes a Western Conference Finals appearance with the Suns back in 1989 and subsequent runs with Minnesota and Utah.

"My last few years in the league, I started hearing a lot of talk about some of the things I brought to the game and how it could be effective," said Corbin in the March issue of the Timberwolves' official team magazine. "I thought about ways to stay around the game and thought coaching would be a natural fit. I enjoy seeing the guys grow from game to game, from year to year, and develop an understanding of how to play and be successful on the NBA level."

March 25, 2005: If it is true that parody is the sincerest form of flattery, then the folks at SportsPickle.com have the highest regard for Phoenix guard Steve Nash, if not his personal hygiene habits. The sports parody site officially jumped on the Suns' bandwagon by posting a completely fictional article puncuated with totally fabricated quotes claiming Nash's MVP-caliber of play this season is at least partially attributable to body odor.

“Dude stinks like nothing else,” the article fabricates Quentin Richardson saying. "Players on other teams have told me they can’t bear getting close enough to him to guard him well. That leads to a lot of openings.”

Nash, himself, is "quoted" in the funny, yet fake, story, and even in make-believe, the All-Star playmaker puts the proper perspective on things.

“I’m a dirty, stinky person, no doubt,” the site pretended he said. “I can get opposing players to step off of me just an inch or two more than they would from someone who bathes, and that’s enough to make some things happen in this league.”

March 24, 2005: Suns center Jake Voskuhl participated in an online chat on ESPN.com. The former NCAA Champion with the Connecticut Huskies chatted about the current college basketball tournament, as well as the Suns' play this season.

Voskuhl picks Illinois to be cutting down the nets in St. Louis next week and says the Suns have their sites set on taking home their first NBA championship.

"Everybody is very excited," he said. "This is what we have been working towards all year. The goal at the beginning of the season was to get back to the playoffs. Once we saw how well we were playing together, that goal changed to win a championship. We have been preparing for that all year. Now with the playoffs right around the corner, we are all excited."

March 18, 2005: The Suns record and style of play continues to draw national attention and praise. The latest sign that the basketball world is taking notice of the success of Phoenix's running ways is Steve Nash's appearance on cover of the current edition of ESPN, The Magazine. Nash is shown in a sea of basketballs with the proclamation that "high-octane hoops is back." A seven-page cover story details the Suns' "Fun Ball" ways and the positive ramifications the team's fast-paced style is having throughout the league.

March 18, 2005: Suns legend Tom Chambers was a guest on XTRA Sports 910's Bickley and MJ morning radio show to talk about his former coach Cotton Fitzsimmons joining him in the team's Ring of Honor tonight. Chambers admitted it will be a very emotional ceremony in which he anticipates fighting back the tears. Fitzsimmons was TC's first coach in Phoenix when he signed with the Suns as the NBA's first unrestricted free agent, and said Cotton was as big an influence on him as a player and person as anyone who he ever played for.

The line of the morning, however, came when the trio was chatting about this year's Suns club and the contributions All-Star forward Shawn Marion has made all season long. At 6-7, the Matrix has been playing power forward and usually winds up guarding the opponent's biggest front court threat.

"If Shawn had a neck, he'd be 7-1," Chambers quipped.

March 17, 2005: A week after the Suns sent a contingency of players, dancers and alumni over to Sky Harbor to hand out boarding passes and greet guests flying on Southwest Airlines, the official airline of the Suns sent its own group to America West Arena. Angela Yock, a senior account services representative in the Suns' corporate sales department was surprised with two cakes and a chorus of "Happy Birthday" by a whole host of SWA employees this afternoon.

"Wow," said Yock. "I wish I could turn 31 every day!"

March 16, 2005: Suns center Steven Hunter made the most of an off-day Tuesday with a trip to the Chicago Cubs' Spring Training home in Mesa. Before suiting up for a little batting practice, the 7-foot DePaul product had a bit of struggle finding baseball pants that would fit. Things didn't get any easier once he hit the batter's box, as a Cubs' pitcher jokingly threw one over Hunter's head.

"I felt short," 6-5 first baseman Derrek Lee told Cubs.com about standing next to Hunter.

March 6, 2005: Suns backup guard Leandro Barbosa is featured in Sunday's New York Times in a "Faces From Afar" segment by Liz Robbins. Robbins chronicles the Brazilian playmaker's journey from a two-room house in São Paulo where he promised his mother he would provide for the family.

Now in his second season with the Suns after Phoenix acquired him in a Draft Day trade with San Antonio in 2003, Barbosa has made good on that promise and credits his brother, Arturo, with preparing him to be a professional basketball player.

"I come from nothing," Barbosa told Robbins, "and I make something of myself."

March 4, 2005: Amare Stoudemire and rapper Nelly share the cover of the Feb. 28 issue of ESPN the Magazine for a story on the melding of hip-hop and basketball. "Walk This Way" also features a wide range of players and recording artists, including Walt Frazier, Allen Iverson and Ludacris, as they chime in on the relationship between the music genre and the hardcourt.

Also check out the story "Q'd Up" in the April issue of Inside Stuff magazine to find out all about Quentin Richardson's thoughts on his successful first year as a Sun and what he brings to the league's highest-scoring team.

March 3, 2005: ESPN.com's Marc Stein sings the praises of both point guard Steve Nash and Suns President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo on the sports Web site's NBA second Trimester Progress Report. While Nash is voted the "West MVP of the First Two Trimesters," Colangelo's offseason acquisition of the star playmaker, not to mention shoring up the Suns' bench with the recent additions of Jimmy Jackson and Walter McCarty, makes him the "Executive of the First Two Trimesters."

March 2, 2005: Noted sportswriter and commentator Frank Deford discussed the impact of international players in the NBA game on his weekly commentary for National Public Radio on Wednesday and sang the praises of Mike D’Antoni in the process.

“He’s done it his way, the same way he coached against the fashionable slow-down style in Europe,” Deford said of the Suns’ head coach. “Not only do the Suns have about as good a record as there is in the league, but they’re a joy to watch, pumping up three-pointers, leading the league in scoring.”

Deford also went so far as to suggest that the USA’s fortunes at last summer’s Olympic Games might have turned out differently with D’Antoni at the helm.

“You can’t help but wonder that if we would have just taken the best U.S. players off of (the Suns, Sonics and Spurs), thrown in a couple of more guys willing to play Euro-ball and let D’Antoni coach them his way, then the United States might have won that gold medal in Athens.”

The entire commentary can be heard by going to NPR.org.

March 2, 2005: For the first time this season, ABC will televise a Suns game nationally. ABC will now televise the club’s road game at Memphis on March 20 and tipoff will change to 1:30 p.m. MST (2:30 p.m. CST).

This is the fourth Suns game added to the NBA’s national television schedule since the start of the season. The Suns are 3-3 in nationally televised games and have six remaining in the team’s final 25 regular season games, including tomorrow night’s contest vs. the defending World Champion Detroit Pistons at 8:30 p.m. at America West Arena, which will be carried nationally on TNT.

March 1, 2005: Steve Nash participated in practice today and could be ready to hit the hardwood again for the first time since before the All-Star break when the Suns host the defending champion Pistons on Thursday night (8:30 p.m., TNT).

“He practiced about 80 percent of the time and he’s getting his way back,” said Head Coach Mike D’Antoni. “I expect him to pick it up a little bit more tomorrow and hopefully he’ll go on Thursday.”

Phoenix has gone 2-1 since the break while the Suns’ playmaker has been nursing a hamstring injury, the latest in a series of setbacks that started with a thigh injury suffered in January.

“This was all triggered by the thigh bruise,” he said. “The thigh bruise triggered the back, the back triggered this. I just had an unfortunate event there and if I’m healthy I can play as much as need be, but if I’m not healthy we’ve got to make sure that we hold me back a little bit or just wait until I’m healthy.

“If I can fully recover from this, I think it will be a terrific break for me. I got quite a few days off and the team did well without me, so we kind of stole some time.”

Feb. 20, 2005: A couple of hours after the conclusion of the All-Star Game in Denver, Suns.com spotted Shaquille O’Neal heading down a hallway in the bowels of the Pepsi Center just as Kobe Bryant was heading the other way unavoidably walking directly towards his former teammate. The two slowed down to a near stop, patted each others’ shoulders and exchanged a brief cordiality. It was a quick, but amicable encounter, believed to be the first the two have had off the court since being defeated by the Pistons in the NBA Finals last spring.

Feb. 19, 2005: Shawn Marion and Tim Duncan were spotted sitting in the Western Conference locker room at the Colorado Convention Center locker room playing handheld remote PlayStation2 games against each other. Duncan was asked if this was a preview of the Western Conference Finals and he said, “Could be, could be.” After Duncan blocked Marion’s shot, the Matrix exclaimed, “Man, he’s got four blocks. Hey, block this!” and shot a three-pointer. Duncan then got hurt in the game and was having problems substituting for himself, to the delight of Marion.

Feb. 19, 2005: The Phoenix Suns were the talk of All-Star 2005 last weekend in Denver, and that was even before they went out and claimed three of the four trophies handed out on All-Star Saturday Night. The following is a sampling of comments from current and former players on the Suns:

Lakers legend Magic Johnson: “It’s been great watching them play. They are much like our (Showtime) Lakers because they have finishers, they have guys that can spot up from the three and that’s what we had. The only difference is they don’t have Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar), but we didn’t have guys that can jump as high as Marion and Stoudemire. Those guys are just too athletic. It’s been great for the league that Phoenix is playing this way and hopefully other teams will copy that.”

Sonics forward Rashard Lewis: “(Marion) is a great player. He’s a shot blocker, rebounder. He does everything on the floor that a coach would like. I think the sky’s the limit for him. I think he’s underrated now, but in the future he won’t be.”

ESPN analyst and former Suns guard Tim Legler: “I think Phoenix has an excellent shot of getting to the Western Conference Finals. I still think San Antonio is the elite team, but Phoenix is right there. So that would be a very exciting Western Conference Final if it gets to that point.”

Pistons center Ben Wallace: “Basketball most of the time is won by quickness and not by height. (Stoudemire) has been using his quickness to out-quick the big centers, and the smaller guys he’s jumping over the top of, so he’s definitely made his mark as an All-Star in this league.”

Feb. 19, 2005: During the All-Star media session, Amaré Stoudemire revealed that his contract forbids him to ski after a local radio personality extended an invitation to join him on the slopes. Loyal to a tee, STAT said he would wear the pair of ski goggles presented to him, "only if it's Nike."

Feb. 18, 2005: The players received an All-Star gift bag for their participation in the weekend’s events, which included a Nokia phone, the new thin PlayStation2, NBA dress shirts, a New Era cashmere All-Star cap specifically made for the players, a satin-lined limited edition box and a Homemedics massager.

Feb. 17, 2005: On the team charter heading out to Denver for All-Star Weekend, Quentin Richardson and his fiancé, pop superstar Brandy, shared a seat, a kiss and some laughs as they affectionately enjoyed their time together. At the media availability session on Friday, Q confirmed that he couldn’t be happier with his engagement to Brandy and that his happy home life has transferred to his play on the court. "I'm in a comfort zone," he said. "I know what I'm doing, I know what I've got at home and I know what's going on."

Feb. 11, 2005: Suns broadcaster and former forward Eddie Johnson joined 620 KTAR’s Dave Burns for a few minutes Thursday night to talk about the team’s recent veteran additions and Tuesday’s big, yet controversial, road win in Sacramento.

“The ball was barely out of Brad Miller’s hand when Amaré Stoudemire blocked it,” EJ said. “That was what the officials were looking at. It was a tough call. You hate to have a game end like that. Then again, from the Suns’ perspective, they waited until the last play of the game to finally get something done defensively, and it got them the victory.”

On adding NBA veterans Jim Jackson and Walter McCarty to the roster, he also added, “You always need veteran leadership, because otherwise who’s going to tell the stories in the locker room? Before they didn’t have anyone to tell stories because they were all young. They didn’t have anyone to say, `Hey, remember this when we did that?’ It’s always good to have a veteran in there who’ll side with the coach when they say some things the guys might not understand. Jackson and McCarty can do that.”

Stoudemire

Feb. 10, 2005: Suns All-Star forward/center Amaré Stoudemire will appear on the “I, Max” show, hosted by Fox Sports’ Max Kellerman, on Friday, February 11 on FSN AZ locally at 5 p.m.

Feb. 10, 2005: Several members of the Kings have been suspended or fined for their actions after the Suns' 125-123 win in Sacramento on Tuesday, Stu Jackson, NBA Senior Vice President, Basketball Operations, announced today. Brad Miller has been suspended one game without pay for improper conduct immediately following the game, which included throwing his headband and sweatband. Mike Bibby has been fined $15,000 for verbally abusing a game official and failing to leave the court in a timely manner at the conclusion of the Kings loss to the Suns. Cuttino Mobley has been fined $15,000 for publicly criticizing the game officials to the media following the game and forward Chris Webber has been fined $10,000 for kicking a ball into the stands upon conclusion of the game. Miller will serve his suspension tonight when the Sacramento Kings visit the Seattle SuperSonics.

Feb. 9, 2005: Jerry Colangelo was a guest of Pat McMahon's on Wednesday morning's "The McMahon Group" on AZ-TV. While the Suns' Chairman would not confirm a recent report that he will soon be named to head the USA Men's Basketball selection process for the 2008 Olympic Games, he did share his feelings on what needs to be done to bring back the gold after settling for the bronze last summer.

"I wouldn’t ask anyone to play," Colangelo said. "They’re going to have to ask me to play. They’re going to wear the flag on their sleeves. This is all about representing the USA and winning a gold medal in Beijing in 2008. We’re going to go back to a lot of basics if I were in that position, including open competition and trials, which hasn’t been the case for a number of years.

Colangelo believes that whoever heads the selection process will make the decision on who will coach the USA squad. Not willing to reveal names of who he thinks might be best suited for the job, he did rule out one Valley broadcasting legend.

"Whoever this person is who is in charge will have the final say so as to who (the Olympic coach) is. If it were me, I’ve got some ideas and you’re not one of the candidates so don’t worry about it," he laughed.

Feb. 8, 2005: When Suns Chairman Jerry Colangelo announced last summer that he was selling the franchise to an investment group led by banker Robert Sarver, he insisted he would remain active in and around the game of basketball. In keeping true to his word, Colangelo will soon be named as the overseer of the men's division of USA Basketball, reports Dan Bickley on azcentral.com.

Feb. 4, 2005: Check out this week's special Suns' edition of Sports Illustrated. Okay, it's not strictly dedicated to the Pacific Division's best team, but it's close. There's a full-length feature spotlighting the Suns' unorthodox yet successful style out on the court. In a Q & A with Quentin Richardson, the guard reveals he'd be perfect for Hollywood because he's "got a smile made for TV." And Suns Ring of Honor member Dan Majerle's downtown eatery gets a No. 11 ranking in a story breaking down the top sports bars in the country.

Feb. 2, 2005: A recent NBA.com poll asked fans who they thought was the flashiest guard in the NBA. With 33 percent of the 300,000 total votes, Suns playmaker Steve Nash topped the list which also included the likes of Allen Iverson, Steve Francis, Jason Williams, Jason Kidd and Jason Richardson.

Feb. 1, 2005: The 2004-05 NBA schedule is more than halfway done and Phoenix has returned to form as the most exciting and productive team in the league. Riding a five-game winning streak and looking to continue their perfect road trip tonight in Memphis, Suns players have begun to get on their own bandwagon and started to talk seriously about their chances to capture the franchise's first title, reports azcentral.com.

"We're too good of a team to think we can't be a contender and can't win," said guard Steve Nash.

Jan. 27, 2005: There is no reason to delve into the NBA's system for determining who will coach the All-Star Game on Feb. 20 in the event of a tie. The Suns and Spurs, who currently share the league's best record at 34-10, will not reach the cutoff date having played the same number of games, thus eliminating the need for a tiebreaker. The coach on the teams with the best records in their respective conferences on Feb. 6 will be rewarded with the honor of coaching their conference. With Phoenix having five games left and San Antonio only four, if the Suns lose as many or fewer games as the Spurs, Mike D'Antoni will head to Denver as the first coach in franchise history to coach in the All-Star Game.

Jan. 27, 2005: Suns play-by-play man Tom Leander may be in love with the play of Bucks reserve Zaza Pachulia, but not everyone at the Bradley Center on Wednesday night was as familiar with the 6-11 forward from the Georgia Republic. With Pachulia at the foul line to complete a three-point play, Shawn Marion appeared to ask Milwaukee's Desmond Mason a question and you didn't have to be an expert lip reader to catch that Mason replied, "Pachulia." While assuming the Matrix was just wondering how to pronounce his name, the possibility must be left open that Marion instead asked, "Who is this guy?"

Jan. 25, 2005: Amaré Stoudemire graces the front of two prominent basketball magazines that recently hit the news stands. The Suns' third-year forward/center is joined on the cover of the NBA's Inside Stuff periodical by Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade, which also features an interview with Shawn Marion. "STAT" goes solo as the cover story for the March issue of SLAM magazine.

Jan. 24, 2005: Steve Nash's MVP-type first half of the 2004-05 season has sparked a lively debate concerning who is the best point guard in the league. In a recent issue of Sports Illustrated's "SI Players," the magazine's new section that examines the person behind the athlete, Nash received 55 percent of the votes from his peers as being the league's top playmaker.

Former Suns guard Jason Kidd tallied 31 percent of votes tabulated, with the Hornets' Baron Davis and Philadelphia's Allen Iverson each receiving three percent.

Jan. 13, 2005: To go along with their jump in win totals this season, the Suns have seen their amount of media coverage go up as of late, especially in the NBA's official publications. In the current issue of NBA Inside Stuff, check out Quentin Richardson listing his "likes" in music, movies and TV while Amare Stoudmire breaks down his favorite things in life. Speaking of STAT, he also made his way onto the magazine's top-10 dunkers list. Suns' Ring of Honor members Tom Chambers and Kevin Johnson also get honorable mention for their dunking prowess with TC's major air slam in 1989 and KJ's mauling of Hakeem Olajuwon in 1994.

This month's issue of Hoop magazine features an article on Steve Nash and his return to the Suns. From the team's aggressive pursuit of the then-free agent playmaker to a breakdown as to what his addition means to the club, check out "Coming Full Circle."

Dec. 29, 2004: A week and half after being waived by the Suns, guard Yuta Tabuse has rejoined the Long Beach Jam of the ABA. Tabuse, who played for the Jam last year, made NBA history by becoming the first Japanese-born player when he started the season with the Suns.

Dec. 28, 2004: A current poll on NBA.com asks fans how many games they think the Suns will win this year and more than two-thirds of the more than 50,000 replies are convinced they will top the 60-win barrier for the second time in team history. Thirty-nine percent have Phoenix wining between 60 and 64 games, while 28 percent say the Suns will set a new franchise mark with 64 or more wins.

Dec. 27, 2004: Robert Sarver's foamy finger has brought good luck this season as the Suns have jumped out to the best start in franchise history and an NBA-best 24-3 record. The Suns' managing partner wore his prized possession last week when he barreled a strike into garbage cans after being catapulted from the Gorilla's slingshot. He needed a little more than the magic finger to pull off his latest stunt during the third quarter break of the Suns' 106-94 win over the Raptors on Sunday night, however. After two failed attempts at dunking off the trampoline, one with the famed foamy finger on hand, Sarver borrowed Amaré Stoudemire's headband and slammed a two-hand jam home to the delight of the crowd and the Suns' bench.

"He got the magic touch with the headband," Stoudemire mused after the game.

Without revealing any details, Sarver told Kevin Ray on KTAR's post-game show that more surprises are in store for Jan. 2, involving one of the club's other new investors.

Dec. 21, 2004: Paul Shirley, one of the Suns' final roster cuts before the season opener, recently popped up as a member of Unics Kazan in the Russian Superleague. Originally the forward was only going to stick around a month, but Shirley's opted to hang out a little longer playing in a city that's almost 500 miles east of Moscow.

Dec. 21, 2004: Vice President of Team Shop Merchandising Bob Nanberg was recently recognized for furthering The Salvation Army's programs and services with their highest volunteer honor on a local level, the Sally Award. In addition to his role on The Salvation Army’s Phoenix Advisory Board, Nanberg has served on the organization's Community Relations and Development Committees, chaired its annual golf tournament and other special events throughout the year, and serves on the Congregate Christmas Dinner committee.

Dec. 20, 2004: For the past three years, preseason predictions by hoops media outlets have been way off when trying to guess how the Suns would fare. After some prognosticators picked Phoenix to finish dead last in the league in 2002-03, they surprised nearly everyone by securing a playoff spot and giving the eventual-champion Spurs a run for their money in the first round. Unfortunately, those same predictors were wrong last season when they picked the purple and orange gang to build on that post-season birth and advance in the playoffs. This season, very few basketball "experts" picked the Suns to even make the playoffs, let alone house the league's best record as the calander year comes to a close.

ESPN Inisider Chad Ford had Phoenix squeaking into the post-season with the eighth seed before the season, but has changed his tune and now picks the Suns to finish behind only San Antonio in the West and advance to the NBA Finals to face the defending champion Detroit Pistons.

"The Suns are not a fluke," Ford wrote. "Few 21-3 teams are. The Suns are beating teams by an average margin of 12 ppg. No one has come close to figuring out how to stop their mile-a-minute offense. Defensively, they've been more committed than you'd expect from a team like this."

The prospect of the Suns returning to the Finals for the first time in 12 years is an intriguiging and exciting one, which is why we here at the Reporters Notebook would be much more comfortable with Ford and his cohorts picking against it.

Dec. 17, 2004: Suns forward Amaré Stoudemire made a cameo appearance on last night's three-hour marathon season finale of the NBC hit reality series The Apprentice. Stoudemire took part in a Read to Achieve charity basketball game run by one of the show's finalists and was shown putting down one of his patented power dunks. A big fan of the show, "STAT" has a lot of respect for host millionaire Donald Trump and after gaining confidence in his successful Wheel of Fortune debut two summers ago, is convinced he would have the same amount of success on The Apprentice.

"It's a real good show," he said. "It teaches you things about business and it kind of keeps you on the edge of your seat. Donald, he's a pretty unique guy. I think I'd do pretty good on there (as a contestant). I think my team would be the best team on there and I don't think anybody would get fire."

Dec. 15, 2004: As if Phoenix' NBA-best 18-3 record, a host of early-season league honors and the fastest start in franchise history were not enough, Suns basketball communications manager Dustin Krugel has been following a statistical trend that, if they continue on their current offensive pace, could have the Suns close to a record that has lasted 40 years.

In leading the league in scoring with a 109.5 points per game average, the purple and orange gang have increased their scoring output by 15.3 points over last season's average, which would tie the largest increase in from one year to the next since the addition of the shot clock. The Philadelphia Warriors finished the 1959-60 season, their first with Wilt Chamberlain, with an identical 15.3 point increase over the previous year.

Dec. 12, 2004: With the holiday shopping season in full force, and consumers' sports and entertainment dollars stretched to the limit, fans must choose wisely to find for a price of admission with the greatest value.

According to Sports Illustrated's Chris Ballard, Phoenix has one of the highest commodities in the NBA. Suns guard Steve Nash was listed among the top five in the league worth paying to see play, in a list compiled by Ballard for floridatoday.com.

"Watching him play is like watching a motorcycle weaving through a freeway of slow-moving traffic," Ballard said. "Nash shoots the runner and floater better than anyone in the game."

Also listed as players worth paying to see were the Cavs' LeBron James, New Jersey's Jason Kidd, Minnesota's Kevin Garnett and the Spurs' Manu Ginobili.

Dec. 8, 2004: Effective today, COX Cable has moved UPN-45 from Channel 16 to Channel 9. So, if you have COX Cable and want to watch the Suns vs. Lakers tonight (as well as the pregame show @ 8PM and all future games on UPN-45), you will have to tune in to channel 9, NOT channel 16.

Dec. 8, 2004: For years, the Phoenix Suns Gorilla has been among the most entertaining mascots in all of sports, but this year he stands alone at the top after being named 2004's Best Mascot by GameOps.com. "The Gorilla continues to adapt and bring value and experience to the Suns," the web site reports. "Their 'Book the Gorilla' school program is one of the best school programs and set the standard for mascots."

Dec. 7, 2004: The Suns today activated forward Zarko Cabarkapa and placed rookie forward/center Jackson Vroman on the injured list with a left groin strain. Cabarkapa, who has not played this season, will be in uniform for tonight's game vs. Golden State at America West Arena at 7 p.m.

Cabarkapa was placed on the injured list with left knee tendinitis on Nov. 1 and missed the first 17 games of the season. The 6-11, 225-pound forward averaged 4.1 points and 2.0 rebounds in 49 games during his rookie season in 2003-04. Vroman, a 6-10, 220-pound rookie, averaged 1.4 points and 1.6 rebounds in five games this season.

Nov. 30, 2004: Judging by the rise in attendance, online chatter and sports talk radio content, the Valley is starting to get seriously excited about the prospects for the 2004-05 Suns. The national media, traditionally slow to pick up on happenings in a medium-sized market like Phoenix, has begun to take notice as well. The purple and orange gang has risen to the top of this week’s NBA Power Rankings on both ESPN and CBS Sportsline's websites.

“You have to go all the way back to 1980-81 to find a Suns team that started this hot (14-2),” ESPN's Mark Stein notes in moving the Suns into the top spot ahead of the Spurs. “That's two years before Mr. Stoudemire was born, in case you're wondering.”

CBS Sportsline's Mike Kahn also had Phoenix in the No. 2 spot before listing them as the league's top team.

Nov. 24, 2004: Suns forward/center Amaré Stoudemire enters tonight's game leading the league in scoring (28.0) and field goal percentage (.593). The only other players to lead the league in both categories in the same season in the last 30 years have been Shaquille O'Neal in 1999-00 when he averaged 29.7 points and shot 57.4% and Bob McAdoo, who averaged 30.6 points and shot 54.7% in the 1973-74 season. After winning the NBA Western Conference Player of the Week honors on Monday, ESPN.com's Chad Ford gushed, "Stoudemire might be the second coming of Moses Malone. He has a rare, potent combination of strength, athleticism and aggressiveness. I think we are looking at the next great player in the NBA."

Nov. 16, 2004: With the young and upcoming team the Suns are putting on the court this season, it is only fitting that one of the young and upcoming artists in music today will be entertaining the America West Arena crowd on Friday night when Phoenix hosts the Lakers. Ricky Fanté, soul music's dynamic new voice, will sing the National Anthem and perform his hit single, "It Ain't Easy," during halftime festivities.

Nov. 15, 2004: A native of West Virginia, it did not seem odd at first that Mike D’Antoni would be sporting a Pittsburgh Steelers sweatshirt and hat a day after beating Cleveland 24-10 to extend their record to 8-1. As it turns out, the Suns’ head coach was just paying a gambling debt owed to head athletic trainer and Steelers fan Aaron Nelson.

“I’m a Cleveland Browns fan and they were playing at home, so I thought they might have a chance,” D’Antoni explained after Monday's practice. “I guess I was wrong.”

A reporter wondered if the coach had even seen a Browns game this season before making the bet.

“That hurts, that hurts,” D’Antoni said shaking his head. "I have nothing to say.”

Nelson, on the other hand, had plenty to say.

“I think he was secretly wanting to wear it anyway,” he started. “He didn’t really look too upset when I had it laying on his chair. I think he looked good. I told him he looked very close to (Steelers coach) Bill Cowher. He just had to bring his jaw out a little bit more.

“(D’Antoni) actually was supposed to wear Steelers stuff for two days, but since he was being such a good sport today, I told him I wouldn’t make him wear it again. Plus, I didn’t want him to sweat my shirt too much. That’s my personal gear.”

Nov. 10, 2004: The Suns could get used to this stat really quick... Out of a total 192 minutes played through their first four games this season, Phoenix has trailed the opposition only 12 minutes and 26 seconds, with all that time coming in the first quarter. In other words, the Suns haven't fallen behind at all past the opening quarter yet.

Nov. 5, 2004: A famous Outlaw may be returning to the Southwest, but Sherriff Joe Arpaio's posse won't be rounding him up anytime soon. After being waived by Memphis last week, former Suns forward Bo Outlaw is contemplating a second tour of duty with Phoenix, Tom Leander reported on UPN 45's broadcast of the Suns' 108-98 victory over Philadelphia. The 12-year NBA veteran is reportedly mulling over offers from the Mavericks and Heat as well, but could meet the Suns in Chicago when they play the Bulls on Monday.

The recipient of the inaugural Dan Majerle Hustle Award in 2002-03, Outlaw averaged 4.7 points and 4.6 rebounds in 153 games over two seasons in his first stint in the Valley before being traded to the Grizzlies just prior to the start of last season.

Nov. 5, 2004: Gray Flannels Collectibles, one of the leading sports memorabelia auciton houses, currently has a game-worn jersey Suns Head Coach Mike D'Antoni wore during the mid-1970s as a member of the Kansas City Kings. The coach's jersey is in a set with two other items and was up to $200 as of Friday afternoon.

Nov. 5, 2004: While Yuta Tabuse made NBA history on Wednesday by becoming the first Japanese-born player in the league, he is not the first Japanese-born basketball player to play professionally in Phoenix. On July 31, 1997 in the first ever WNBA trade, Mercury General Manager Seth Sulka aquired Mikiko Hagiwara from the Sacramento Monarchs in exchange for future considerations. In one and a half seasons in Phoenix, the 5'9" guard averaged 2.7 points per game. Hagiwara was the first and only Japanese player to play in the WNBA.

Nov. 3, 2004: The Suns waived Paul Shirley today. The 6-10, 230-pound forward averaged 2.9 points and 2.0 rebounds in seven preseason games. Shirley was previously placed on the injured list with back spasms on November 1.

Nov. 2, 2004: Check out a feature on Joe Johnson in the December issue of SLAM magazine. JJ talks about what he did this past summer to prepare for the new NBA season, like adding 10 pounds of muscle and refining his perimeter game. The guard also covers his overall NBA improvement as he enters his fourth season in the league.

Nov. 1, 2004: You can get a double-dose of Suns content tonight on Fox Sports Net Arizona. Just before the premiere the weekly Suns Insiders, point guard Steve Nash will be a guest of Max Kellerman on the sports talk show, I, Max starting at 6 p.m. The show will be rerun after the rebroadcast of Insider at 10:30 p.m.

Oct. 28, 2004: The second season of Phoenix Suns basketball on Fox Sports Net Arizona gets started on Monday, Nov. 1, at 6:30 & 10 p.m. when the inaugural edition of Suns Insider debuts from the FOX Sports Grill in Scottsdale. Hosted by Kevin McCabe & Brad Steinke, the 30-minute Suns Insider Tip-Off Special will preview the upcoming 2004-05 campaign with interviews, player profiles and a breakdown of the new-look lineup for this season.

McCabe is set to be joined at the Grill by Shawn Marion, Casey Jacobsen, Leandro Barbosa & Jackson Vroman and Suns fans are invited to attend the show's taping and be part of the live audience. The Suns Insider is FSN Arizona's fifth weekly 30-minute magazine show devoted to one of its team partners and it can be seen every Tuesday night throughout the NBA season at 6:30 & 10 p.m.