Alvin Gentry led the Suns to a 54-28 (65.9%) record during the regular season and he was 10-6 (62.5%) in the post season in his first complete season in charge. Gentry got the Suns to play over their heads in the playoffs as he seems to get the most out of his players. He now has a 72-41 (63.7%) record during his career with the Suns during the regular season. Gentry now has a 249-267 (48.3%) record during the regular season and he is 12-9 (57.1%) during the post season in his NBA career as a head coach. Gentry will have a big test this year without Amare Stoudemire and it will be interesting to see how he does.

22-year old Robin Lopez might get more P.T. than he did last season. The main reason for that is because the Suns appear to be going small which means they will need someone to rebound. Lopez played in 51 games (31 starts) for the Suns last season and he averaged 19.3 minutes, 8.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 0.1 assists and 1.0 blocked shot per game. Lopez has now played in 111 games (38 starts) in his first two years with the Suns and he has averaged 14.4 minutes, 5.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.1 assists per game. The Suns hope that Lopez improves this year as they need his muscle.

27-year old Channing Frye is a sharp shooter who fits right in with the Suns offensive style. Frye played in 81 games (41 starts) for the Suns last season and he averaged 27.0 minutes, 11.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He has now played in 359 games (135 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 21.6 minutes, 8.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. Frye has shot an amazing 41.6% from three point range to this point in his career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SUNS CENTERS IN 2010-11: C+

Amare Stoudemire signed with the Knicks over the summer which caused the Suns to look outside the organization to replace him. They made a trade with the Raptors bringing in Hedo Turkoglu. Turkoglu is not a classic power forward type as he is a poor rebounder. Turkoglu played in 74 games (69 starts) for the Raptors last season and he averaged 30.7 minutes, 11.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. He has now played in 752 games (443 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 28.2 minutes, 12.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. Turkoglu is a great long range shooter as he has hit 38.3% of his shots from behind the three point arc so that will be a weapon for the Suns.

28-year old Hakim Warrick was signed as a free agent. Warrick is a tad skinny but he’s strong and fast so he should fit right in with the rest of the Suns. Warrick played in 76 games (6 starts) for the Bucks & Bulls in which he averaged 20.5 minutes, 9.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. He has now played in 383 games (89 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 21.5 minutes, 10.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. Don’t be surprised to see Warrick starting at some point this year for the Suns.

22-year old Earl Clark didn’t get to play much as a rookie last season for the Suns. Clark played in 51 games (0 starts) for the Suns last season and he averaged 7.5 minutes, 2.7 points, 1.2 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. I don’t look for him to get much more P.T. this year.

Rookie Gani Lawal is likely 4th in line at power forward for the Suns this year. He played in 36 games for Georgia Tech last season and he averaged 13.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game. Lawal played in 99 games in his college career and he averaged 11.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 1.3 blocked shots per game. He will be brought along slowly by the Suns.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SUNS POWER FORWARDS IN 2010-11: C-

38-year old Grant Hill is like the Energizer Bunny as he takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Hill played in 81 games (all starts) for the Suns last season and he averaged 30.0 minutes, 11.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. He has now played in 868 games (846 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 35.2 minutes, 17.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.3 steals per game. At some point Hill is going to start to decline as a player but the Suns hope he has at least one more decent year in him.

25-year old Jared Dudley appears to now be the Suns’ small forward of the future. He played in 82 games (1 start) for the Suns last season and he averaged 24.3 minutes, 8.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Dudley has now played in 223 games (22 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 20.3 minutes, 6.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Dudley has shot 41.9% from three point range in his NBA career so far and the Suns won’t be shy about letting him bomb away again this year.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SUNS SMALL FORWARDS IN 2010-11: C

29-year old Jason Richardson will likely be counted on more offensively this year with Amare Stoudemire now in New York. Richardson played in 79 games (76 starts) for the Suns last season and he averaged 31.5 minutes, 15.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. He has now played in 671 games (660 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 35.1 minutes, 18.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Don’t be surprised if Richardson averages around 20 points per game this year.

27-year old Josh Childress came over in a deal with the Hawks during the off-season. Childress will also get some P.T. this year at small forward. Childress last played in the NBA in 2007-08 with the Hawks as he has spent his last two years playing in Greece. Childress has played in 285 games (67 starts) in his four years in the NBA and he has averaged 31.3 minutes, 11.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steal per game on 52.2% shooting from the floor. He should fit right in with the Suns’ running style on offense.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SUNS SHOOTING GUARDS IN 2010-11: B+