The All-Star Break apparently did the Phoenix Suns some good. They've won all three post-All-Star games and have given themselves an over-.500 home record, finally. The usual suspects led the way, including Steve Nash, Marcin Gortat, and Jared Dudley. The bench rotation continues to be kind of wonky, but Suns fans are starting to see a little of the bench spark that was a signature of Alvin Gentry-coached Suns teams. Hopefully, Phoenix can snag their first four-game win streak of the season, on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder. That's probably too much to ask, though.
Here are the rankings for this week. Last week's ranking is listed in parentheses.
1. Marcin Gortat (1): Gortat had a monster week for Phoenix, averaging 16.3 points and 12.3 rebounds this. Gortat posted 18 points and 17 rebounds against the Los Angeles Clippers, and 14 points and 17 rebounds against the Sacramento Kings. Gortat shot over 50% from the field in all three games this week and had six blocks in three games. (Ryan Bafaloukos)
2. Steve Nash (2): Nash is Nash. He didn't have the best week, but it is still better than almost anyone. Facing off against the young Ricky Rubio and the Minnesota Timberwolves, he almost had a triple-double -- 13 points, 17 assists, and eight rebounds. He was the team's leading scorer against the Kings on Sunday with 19 points, shooting 8-13. (Jess Root)
3. Jared Dudley (4): Mr. Dudley had himself a fantastic week, averaging 16 points, 6.7 rebounds, and three assists during the team's post-All-Star win streak. The streak can be heavily attributed to the consistent production of the Suns' core players, which will be a necessity if Phoenix has any playoff hopes whatsoever. (Justin Burning)
4. Grant Hill (5): Hill started out hot coming out of the All-Star Break with 20 points against the Timberwolves. Though he has cooled down a bit over the following two games, his steady presence can't be understated during Phoenix's current three-game winning streak. (Nikil Selvam)
5. Channing Frye (3): Frye came out strong after the All-Star Break, scoring 14 points and grabbing five rebounds against Minnesota. Frye shot 5-10 from the field and 66% from three against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Frye had a game to forget against the Clippers, shooting 2-18 from the field and only scoring six points. Frye pulled a double-double against Sacramento, scoring 11 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Frye had an off shooting week, Frye shot 10-40 from the field this week and 3-8 from three. (RB)
6. Shannon Brown (8): Brown played pretty well this week. His two consecutive three-pointers against the Kings were key. He scored 13 against the Kings and 12 against the Timberwolves. He is figuring out his role as a spark off the bench and, at least for now, is helping more than he is causing headaches. (JR)
7. Robin Lopez (10): I think at this point, Robin has settled in to the "solid but uninspiring role player" mold. He got regular action this week, but with averages of 4.3 points and 3.7 rebounds, with the occasional block, Lopez has done nothing to keep alive hope in his development. (JB)
8. Markieff Morris (7): The young rookie is struggling. He's seen 16, 17, and 18 minutes of action in the past three games, but has managed to translate that to only four, three, and two points, respectively. He's connected on just three of 21 field goal attempts since the All-Star Break. Hopefully Morris can change this in the coming week. (NS)
9. Sebastian Telfair (9): Telfair was very efficient this week, averaging six points and 14 minutes played. Telfair was 7-15 from the field this week and he even had two blocks against Sacramento. (RB)
10. Michael Redd (6): Redd has fallen out of the rotation of sorts. He logged a DNP against Minnesota and went scoreless in a combined 15 minutes in the other two games. (JR)
11. Hakim Warrick (13): Though the Suns have been on a tear since "Bones" Warrick made an appearance in the locker room, the actual Warrick hasn't contributed quite as much. He only got eight minutes of playing time this week and didn't really do much with it. (JB)
12. Ronnie Price (11): Apparently the Price was not right for Alvin Gentry this past week. Price did not play any minutes in three games. (NS)
13. Josh Childress (12): Childress did not see any game action this week. (RB)