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 Phoenix Suns are sitting at 31-22 on the season. They currently have the 7th best record in the Western Conference which would make them a playoff team. But they are only ahead of the Rockets and Hornets by 3 games apiece (they are tied for the 9th best record in the West) and they are only 4 games ahead of the Grizzlies. With that in mind it’s shocking to me that the Suns are trying to trade Amare Stoudemire and Jason Richardson as they are trying to salary dump. Stoudemire has played in 53 games (all starts) for the Suns this season and he is averaging 34.8 minutes, 21.2 points, 8.6 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. Jason Richarson has played in 50 games (47 starts) for the Suns this year and he is averaging 31.0 minutes, 14.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. If the Suns don’t get value back for Stoudemire/Richardson then they should 1.) Fire Steve Kerr as GM and 2.) The owner should sell the team.

Backup point guard Goran Dragic is really doing a great job this season which has allowed Steve Nash to get the rest needed to stay sharp. Dragic has played in 52 games (1 start) for the Suns this season and he is averaging 17.4 minutes, 8.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. The Suns need Dragic to finish strong so that Steve Nash is fresh and ready to go for the playoffs.

Small forward Jared Dudley is really playing well for the Suns right now. He will probably see a bump in his minutes due to Leandro Barbosa’s injury. Dudley has played in 49 games (1 start) for the Suns this season and he is averaging 24.0 minutes, 8.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Dudley is also shooting lights out from three point range hitting 46.9% from that distance. If he keeps playing like he is righty now I have little doubt that he will be starting for the Suns in the near future.

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.