The Suns will be without starting center Robin Lopez for at least the first round of the playoffs due to a back injury. Lopez played in 51 games (31 starts) for the Suns this season and he averaged 19.3 minutes, 8.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 0.1 assists and 1.0 blocked shot per game. This will hurt the Suns especially in the first round of the playoffs because Lopez would put a body on Marcus Camby while Channing Frye doesn’t like the rough stuff under the basket.

It looks like father time is starting to wear down on the Phoenix Suns’ 36-year-old point guard, Steve Nash.  Nash is still playing at a high level and has only missed two games this season, but his back has been noticeably bothering him and his production has dropped over the past two months.  In the first few months of the season, Nash was putting up some really great offensive numbers.  In November he averaged 15.8 points and 11.8 assists; In December he averaged 20.5 points and 10.2 assists; In January he averaged 18.2 points and 11 assists.  However, in the past two months Nash’s scoring has really dropped off.  The bad back is the main reason why, as he is getting less minutes and it he has been playing through pain so his shooting percentage has really dropped off.  In February he only averaged 13.5 points, but still dished out 11.7 assists per game.  So far this month Nash is only averaging 12.2 points, but is still dropping 10.6 dimes per game.  Nash doesn’t need to score a ton of points for the Suns to be successful and it is a good sign that he is still racking up great assists numbers.  It does make you wonder how many years Nash has left and if his back will hurt him and the Suns in this year’s playoffs.

Steve Nash and his 36-year-old body have been hurting as of the late, specifically his back and abdomen.  It was bothering him so much that he stayed in Phoenix on Tuesday while the team went to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder.  The Suns were able to escape with a 104-102 win without Nash, but they are not the same team without him.  He returned to the court last night at home against the Philadelphia 76ers and he looked healthy and fresh.  He only played 29 minutes, but he went 8-9 from the field for 20 points, 13 assists, and 4 rebounds in a 106-95 win.  Hopefully Nash’s back/abdomen problem will wear off and they don’t get worse, because if the Suns want to get anywhere in the Western Conference playoffs they are going to need a healthy Nash running the show.

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 will be without SG/SF Leandro Barbosa for the next 2-4 weeks due to a left ankle injury. Barbosa has played in 14 games (2 starts) for the Suns this season and he is averaging 21.4 minutes, 11.6 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. The Suns will miss Barbosa while he is out as he is the best player they have coming off the bench.