Suns already feeling affects of shortened season

Over the last two weeks the Phoenix Suns have played nine games (have lost seven of them) traveling over 6,000 miles to six different cities. On game days, the team will have a short walkthroughs and film sessions. After all that, when is there time for a team struggling to execute and find a solid rotation to have a legitimate practice?

“I am a little frustrated right now because we come in, were out there for an hour and a half and that’s got to be it when we could probably use another 45 minutes to work on other things,” Phoenix Suns Head Coach Alvin Gentry explained Tuesday. “We just don’t have the time to do it.”

When the team does have the opportunity to practice, Gentry still also has to take notice of the team’s veterans, Steve Nash, Grant Hill and Michael Redd, to make sure they keep their legs on an off day.

Gentry and the Suns are not making excuses. This is a battle that every team in the NBA is facing. Seeing as the Suns are one of the older teams in the league and also have important ingredients to the team being newcomers in Shannon Brown, Sabastian Telfair, Ronnie Price and Michael Redd, there is little time for everyone to build consistency and get on the same page.

“Obviously every other team in the league is facing the same situation. But in our case I think it is very imperative that we have time on the court where we can work on execution and work on Shannon Brown and Sebastian Telfair and Michael Redd and get those guys introgated into what we are trying to do,” said Gentry.

The Suns are realists too. Steve Nash and Alvin Gentry acknowledge that they do not have the most talent night in and night out, and have to make the most of what they have.

“We just don’t have the talent to go out and win games,” explained Suns two-time MVP Steve Nash. “We have to find a little something extra, a little magic in our chemistry and our cohesion and we haven’t found it yet. And its tough when you’re not practicing”

The Suns did in fact get the opportunity to practice Thursday. But it had to be cut short in order to make the flight to Portland for friday night’s game against the Blazers. 

Alvin Gentry stated “We got to find a way to work our way out of it. No one is going to feel sorry for us.”

For more on the Suns, follow Jared Cohen on twitter at @JaredPros2Preps.