Steve Nash has been playing at an amazing level, especially when you consider the fact that he is 35-years-old.  He is averaging 18.3 points, 11.1 assists, 3.2 rebounds, while shooting 52% from the field and 43% from three.  The Suns have not been playing very well lately though, and they have lost 6 of their last 10 games.  Now news has surfaced that Nash has an abdominal strain and he has been sitting out of practice because of it.  It obviously bothered Nash, as he went 2-10 from the field and 1-6 from three in their 115-111 win over the Houston Rockets last game.  Nash doesn’t need to score to make an impact though, as he had 16 assists and played through the pain in his abdomen.  The Suns are going to need Nash to continue his 18 ppg average if they want to be successful down the stretch of the season and leading into the postseason.  So, hopefully he can get over this abdominal strain quickly.  Nothing heals quickly in the grind of the 82 game season though, especially when your 35.  Some other Suns players need to step it up when it comes to scoring the ball, because this abdominal strain really effects Nash’s shooting.

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.

The Suns are really happy with the play of second year point guard Goran Dragic which has allowed them to give Steve Nash more rest to keep him fresh. Dragic has played in 24 games (0 starts) for the Suns this season and he is averaging 15.9 minutes, 6.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. If Dragic keeps playing well he might be the eventual replacement for Steve Nash but that might be a few years down the road.

When the Suns acquired Marcus Banks before last season they thought he would be the perfect backup triggerman to give Steve Nash a break during games but they were wrong as he didn’t play too well. His poor play has continued so far this season which has earned him a spot at the end of the bench. In his first 9 games this season Banks averaged 11.8 minutes, 4.0 points, 0.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. If he doesn’t improve soon he won’t be getting off of the bench much for the Suns.

Boris Diaw hasn’t played too well this month and he needs to change that soon with the playoffs starting next weekend. Diaw has played in 6 games this month and he’s only averaging 6.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.  He also is only shooting 36.2% from the floor and that just won’t get it done for the Suns.