Amar’e Stoudemire has been a beast for the Phoenix Suns once again this season and has been a very efficient force for them.  Stoudemire has been a great player for the Suns ever since he came into the league in 2002, and he recently reached 10,000 career points.  On the season, Stoudemire has been strong and healthy all year on his way to averages of 20.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.9 blocks, and 0.8 steals.  He is making a red-hot 56% of his shots and has been one of the Suns most consistent players.  The Suns have really been struggling this month though, with a record of 5-7 in January.  In each of their losses this month they have given well over 100 points, so everyone including Amar’e needs to step it up on the defensive end.  His rebounding and blocked shots numbers are a little down, so if he could give the Suns an extra boost on the defensive end it could help them get out of the funk they have been in this month.

The Suns will be without SG/SF Leandro Barbosa for about a month as he will undergo surgery to remove a cyst from his right wrist. He has played in 29 games (5 starts) for the Suns this season and he is averaging 19.7 minutes, 10.6 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. This will hurt the Suns as Barbosa gives them a shot of instant offense off the bench.

The Suns are starting Robin Lopez at center now and it’s really effecting the play of Channing Frye. Frye is only averaging 18.6 minutes, 6.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game this year. Frye’s shot has been way off as he is only hitting 28.1% of his shots from the floor in his last five games. Frye’s overall numbers still look good as he has played in 44 games (41 starts) in which he is averaging 30.1 minutes, 11.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Frye is also shooting 43.2% from three point range which is unheard of for a NBA center.

Something has gotten into 21-year old center Robin Lopez the last couple of games. He has averaged 27.0 minutes, 12.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.5 blocked shots in his last two games. It’s possible that Lopez will start taking minutes away from Channing Frye especially when the Suns are playing against teams with big front lines. Lopez has now played in 20 games (0 starts) for the Suns this season and he is averaging 11.3 minutes, 4.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game. It’s nice to see Lopez finally showing signs of life in his play.

Starting shooting guard Jason Richardson is fitting in well in his first full season with the Suns. He has played in 34 games (all starts) for the Suns this season and he is averaging 30.8 minutes, 15.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Richardson is the kind of athlete that really excels in the Suns’ running system and I look for his numbers to improve in the second half of the year.

The Suns are playing really well this season which has limited the minutes for the rookies. F/C Earl Clark has played in 25 games (0 starts) for the Suns so far this season and he is averaging 8.5 minutes, 2.7 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. His main problem has been his shooting (39.7% from the floor) and that is a very bad thing when you play with the run and gun Suns. Small forward Taylor Griffin has only played in 2 games (0 starts) this season for the Suns and he is averaging 7.0 minutes, 1.0 point and 0.5 rebounds per game this season. Don’t expect much out of Griffin who is really not that talented.

Back-up forward Louis Amundson is stepping up off the bench for the Suns this season. He has played in 31 games (0 starts) for the Suns this season and he is averaging 15.3 minutes, 5.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. Amundson is shooting 54.6% from the floor this season. He will continue to get solid minutes this season as long as he keeps playing well with the minutes the Suns are giving him.

As a fan of the NBA, I enjoy filling out an NBA All-Star ballot a few times each year, but it is nothing more than a popularity contest.  Anyone of any age who can get to NBA.com can vote for whoever they want to star in the All-Star game, even if they have barely played this season.  That is the case with the Houston Rockets’ Tracy McGrady, who has more votes than Steve Nash despite only playing in 6 games this season.  McGrady is now barely a member of the Rockets, as he has been given permission to take a leave of absence after a rift over playing time when he returned from injury.  The Rockets don’t even want him, yet he is going to be the starter in the All-Star game?  The All-Star Game may just seem like pure entertainment for the fans, but it is also a great way of recognizing a player’s hard work and great play.  Steve Nash is averaging 18.4 points, 11.2 assists, and 2.9 rebounds while shooting an incredible 54% from the field, 43% from three, and 94% from the line.  The fan voting needs to either end or some major adjustments need to be made, because Steve Nash deserves to be the starter and McGrady has no business at the All-Star game unless he is a spectator.