Suns forward Hedo Turkoglu is representing host country Turkey in the 2010 FIBA World Championships. Check back daily for updates here on how he and his country are performing at the competition.

Sept. 1- Suns forward hedo Turkoglu finally caught fire at the FIBA World Championships, shooting 6-of-11 from the floor and 4-of-6 from behind the arc as Turkey eked out a 79-77 win over Puerto Rico. Turkoglu added five assists for Turkey, which now sits atop Group C with a 4-0 record.

The Bucks’ Ersan Ilyasova posted a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds as the host team recovered from an early deficit and pulled away in the last quarter. Turkey’s next matchup is against China (1-3) on Thursday.

August 31- In a battle between the only two unbeaten countries in Group C, Turkey outlasted Greece 76-65 on Tuesday. In the third period, Turkey outscored Greece 24-12, giving Turkey a 14-point lead heading into the final quarter.

Suns forward Hedo Turkoglu continued to struggle with his shooting touch, hitting only 2-of-12 of his shots. However, he Turkoglu contribued eight points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals in the contest.

The Bucks’ Ersan Ilyasova paced Turkey with 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting. Turkey faces Puerto Rico (1-2)on Wednesday.

August 29- Turkey now stands at 2-0 in the 2010 FIBA World Championships after capturing a 65-56 victory over Russia on Sunday. Newly acquired Suns forward Hedo Turkoglu led the way for Turkey, registering a team-high 14 points, but on just 6-of-16 shooting. Fellow NBA forward Ersan Ilyasova added 10 points and 10 boards for Turkey.

As it stands, Turkey and Greece are atop of Group C with undefeated records. The two countries will face each other on Tuesday, August 31.

August 28- The 2010 FIBA World Championships tipped off this past weekend in Turkey, home of Suns forward Hedo Turkoglu. Turkey, which plays in Group C with Greece, Ivory Coast, Russia, Puerto Rico and China, opened against Ivory Coast.

Turkey strolled to an 86-47 win over the African country, with Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova pacing Turkey with 17 points and eight rebounds. Turkoglu, who couldn’t hit a field goal, still managed to collect six points, seven assists, seven rebounds and four steals.

Suns point guard Goran Dragic is representing Slovenia in the 2010 FIBA World Championships currently taking place in Turkey. Check back daily for updates here on how he and his country are performing at the competition.

Sept. 2- In Slovenia’s final game of group play, Goran Dragic scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds as his country captured a 65-60 victory over Iran on Thursday. Dragic shot 7-of-10 from the floor and 2-of-4 from downtown.

The victory allows Slovenia to advance further in the 2010 FIBA World Championships. Dragic and Co. finished 4-1 in group play, only falling to the U.S.

Slovenia will face the third place team from Group A. As it stands, it looks as if that team will be Australia.

Sept. 1- With only one loss to the U.S., Slovenia knocked off their next-toughest foe in Group B with an 80-77 victory over Brazil on Wednesday. Suns point guard Goran Dragic collected 10 points and two rebounds, while Jaka Lakovic paced Slovenia with 20 points.

Slovenia moves to 3-1, just one game behind the U.S. and poised to advance past the preliminary round. Currently, Dragic is second on the team in scoring at 11.8 a game.

Slovenia wraps up group play on Thursday when it faces Iran.

August 30- After suffering their first loss of the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Turkey to the United States, Slovenia rebounded on Monday to earn a 91-84 victory over Croatia.

Suns playmaker Goran Dragic recovered from a poor night of shooting against the U.S., returning to the world-class form he showed during the 2010 NBA Playoffs and summer exhibitions. Dragic shot 5-of-10 from the floor to total 14 points, including 2-of-3 from behind the arc.

The 6-3 guard also recorded four rebounds and four assists. Former Raptors guard Uros Slokar tallied 15 points for Slovenia, which moved to 2-1 with the win. Slovenia sits just behind undefeated U.S. and Brazil in Group B play.

August 29- In their second game of the 2010 FIBA World Championships, Slovenia drew the good fortune of running into a red-hot United States team, falling 99-77 to the reigning Olympic champions.

Suns guard Goran Dragic managed only seven points and four assists on 2-of-8 shooting, while also turning the ball over three times. Slovenia was only able to register two players in double figures, while the United States saw five players hit double figures, led by Kevin Durant’s 22 points.

Durant shot 8-of-13 from the floor, collecting four rebounds, four assists and four steals along the way. Timberwolves forward Kevin Love added 10 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, while Memphis forward Rudy Gay poured in 16 points in 15 minutes.

August 28- 2010 FIBA World Championships action tipped off this past weekend in Turkey, with world basketball bragging rights on the line. The Suns feature two of their players in the competition, with Goran Dragic running the show for Slovenia and Hedo Turkoglu representing the host country.

In Slovenia’s first matchup against Tunisia on Saturday, Dragic propelled his squad to an easy 80-56 victory, leading his team in both points (16) and assists (eight). Dragic shot 6-of-9 from the floor, while also adding five rebounds.

Former NBA forward Bostjan Nachbar added 14 points and six boards. Slovenia, which sits in Group B along with the US, Brazil, Croatia, Iran and Tunisia, faces the United States on Sunday.

A few random thoughts from the Suns’ offseason:

* As someone who covered the Cavaliers for NBA.com last season, I can tell you the Suns are getting a great guy in Lance Blanks, the team’s new general manager. I really felt like Blanks was ready to run a team of his own after watching him under former Cavs GM Danny Ferry. Blanks worked as assistant GM in Cleveland for five years. He is a passionate basketball man and by all accounts, a sharp strategist. He’ll fit in well with the Suns family.

* Blanks is one of my all-time favorite college players. He played at the University of Texas during the late 1980s, alongside Travis Mays and Joey Wright. The three were known as the “BMW Scoring Machine” in 1989-90. Blanks was a fundamentally sound sharpshooter, a classy player who never seemed to get rattled. He was drafted by the then-champion Detroit Pistons in the first round of the 1990 draft.

* Former Suns GM Steve Kerr is close with Ferry, and knows Blanks well. So Kerr was a big fan of the hire. “(Blanks) and Lon (Babby, Suns President) will make a great team,” Kerr told the Arizona Republic. “They complement each other’s skills well. Robert (Sarver, Suns managing partner) has done a good job of putting a front-office team together.”

* As for the players, I didn’t believe it when I read that Suns point guard Goran Dragic wanted to leave the NBA for Europe after his contract expires (in 2012). Dragic just seems too happy in Phoenix, where he has become a fan (and organization) favorite. Thankfully, Dragic sent an email to a couple of media outlets, politely saying the report was inaccurate. “I am a member of the Phoenix Suns, and my desire is to stay in Phoenix for many years!” he wrote. That’s good news, because the Suns need him.

* I know I keep saying this, but I cannot wait to see two of the game’s premier playmakers, Steve Nash and Hedo Turkoglu, teaming up in coach Alvin Gentry’s system. It makes me wish the season tipped off yesterday.

* Remember the beginning of last season, when the Suns were on the road all the time, yet started quickly? In the process, they silenced a lot of critics and later proved their early success was no fluke. Well, they will be getting a chance to do the same this year — as 11 of the Suns’ first 18 games are on the road. That includes a killer mid-November swing at Miami and Orlando on back-to-back nights. But as one NBA coach once told me (I can’t remember who it was), “You gotta play everybody and go on the road 41 times, so you may as well get the toughies out of the way first.”

* Excluding games on NBA TV, the Suns are scheduled to be on national television 18 times this season (ABC, ESPN and TNT). That’s the same number as last season — although a few games were added at the end of the year, when the Suns were positioning themselves for the playoffs.

* Finally, I don’t expect undrafted rookie guard Matt Janning to be a huge contributor right away, but the kid can really shoot and pass, and there is always a place for those skills in the Gentry’s system. One Eastern Conference scout told me Janning, who played his college ball at Northeastern University near Boston, was “definitely among the top 10 rookies in summer league ball.”

Sam Amico is a freelance NBA writer and regular contributor to Suns.com. His pro basketball coverage has appeared on NBA.com, CBSSports.com, NBCSports.com and USAToday.com. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/SamAmicoNBA.

While being a video coordinator may be the gateway into basketball operations for a professional basketball team, it’s also a staging ground for a litany of unique requests. By the time you’ve advanced into the front office or onto the coaching staff, you’ve pretty much seen or heard it all.

Suns video coordinator Elvis Valcarcel is no different.

In his two seasons in Phoenix, he’s shuffled in and out of his job description to make sure people within the organization receive what they need. One time during the 2010 NBA Playoffs in Portland, the piece of equipment that allowed him to encode video into his computer broke.

The $400 piece, which was only available at Apple stores, forced assistant video coordinator Nick U’Ren to take an hour-long cab ride to buy the piece. U’Ren hustled back to the arena, arriving 15 minutes before gametime.

Besides executing time-sensitive tasks such as that, Valcarcel also has his share of unusual requests. There was the time Shaquille O’Neal asked him to compile all of his best highlights off of YouTube.

There was also that time that the team surgeon asked him to splice together video of a knee surgery. Or that time the team’s security guard had him cut a highlight video of his son’s exploits in youth football.

In addition to fulfilling all of the video requests of both the coaching staff and the front office, Valcarcel will also receive personal requests from the players. For example, when Suns shooting guard Jason Richardson has a couple of off-shooting nights, he’ll ask for video of all of his missed shots.

Valcarcel swears that he has no idea what J-Rich sees on those videos, but after doing a little homework, Richardson breaks out of his slump. Every time.

Despite all of idiosyncrasies of the job, Valcarcel says that the job passes the $1 million test. If he had all the money he could ever need, he’d wake up every day and head to the Suns’ video room.

Although Dennis Johnson was posthumously enshrined into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday as a Celtic, Johnson once shined brightly in the Valley of the Sun.

Larry Bird, who once said that Johnson was “the best player I’ve ever played with,” played three seasons for the Suns from the 1980 through 1983. Traded to Phoenix from Seattle for Ring of Honor Member Paul Westphal, Johnson earned All-Star, All-Defensive First Team and All-NBA First Team honors his first season in the Valley as he led the Suns to a then franchise-record 57 wins.

In his second season in Phoenix, “DJ” was named to the All-Defensive First Team once again and was the lone representative for the Suns at the All-Star Game in New Jersey. During his three seasons in Phoenix, the 6-4, 202-pound Johnson averaged 17.5 points and 4.7 rebounds during the regular season and 20.4 points and 5.1 boards in the playoffs before being traded to the Celtics in the offseason.

“He’s the greatest defensive player that’s ever played in the league as a guard,” Magic Johnson told the Boston Herald. “He was just awesome. He was big. He was strong. He was probably one of the smartest players to ever play.

“I used to be so mad at Dennis because he made me think so much. He anticipated my moves before I made them. He was just a master at understanding how to play you and not give you what you want – and still do it as the nice Dennis Johnson. I used to hate that.”

Johnson led the Suns to the playoffs all three seasons he played in Phoenix and won three rings in his career, two with the Celtics and one with the SuperSonics in 1979, when he was named Finals MVP. The former Suns guard was named to nine consecutive NBA All-Defensive Teams, including six times on the All-Defensive First Team.

It was a bittersweet day for Dennis Johnson’s family, who lost DJ to a heart attack in 2007. His widow Donna, and his brother, Gary, accepted the honor on his behalf.

“It’s disappointing,” Bird said of the delay in Johnson’s entry to the Boston Herald, “but, still, he’s there. I’m so proud of the family. I’m so happy for them. This meant a lot to DJ. We talked about this when he was playing.”

His former coach in Seattle, Lenny Wilkens, described Johnson as a player who scratched and clawed his way to success.

“He was a tough kid. That’s why he’s here,” Wilkens told the Boston Herald. “He was just outstanding and fabulous. I had the privilege to coach him, and when I took over the Sonics, he was on the bench. I changed the whole lineup, and I felt that he should be a starter because he could impact the game with his defense – and very few guys can do that. Bill Russell did it, and Dennis could do it also.”

During his playing days, the one-time Sun and five-time NBA All-Star also impressed the likes of Suns Ring of Honor member Charles Barkley. Barkley has been clamoring for Johnson to be admitted to the Hall of Fame for some time.

“Everybody talks about his defensive prowess, but you just think back to how many clutch shots he made,” Barkley told the Herald. “Go back to the Celtics and Seattle and think about all the plays Dennis Johnson made. He was a winner.”

After making a name for himself domestically during the 2010 NBA Playoffs, Suns point guard Goran Dragic has continued that trend this summer, albeit internationally.

Although Dragic was a vital member of the Suns’ lineup all last season, his official coming-out-party occurred after he decimated the Spurs with 26 points in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals. But don’t think that performance would cause the 6-3 guard to rest on his laurels.

In the Stankovic Cup, an international basketball tournament for men’s national teams that is held annually by FIBA, Dragic was honored with the MVP as he led his native Slovenia to a gold medal on Sunday. The tournament, which took place this past week in China, saw Slovenia defeat Australia in the final.

In Slovenia’s tournament opener, the Suns’ backup point guard came off the bench to score 15 in a 107-74 rout over Iran. After falling to Australia in their next matchup, Dragic’s triple-double of 15 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists lifted Slovenia to a victory over China.

In the final, Dragic posted 13 points, six rebounds and three assists as Slovenia captured a 71-60 win over the Australians. It was the second time that Slovenia has claimed gold at the Stankovic Cup.

Dragic and Co. hope that the title will be an indicator of good things to come as they continue to prepare for the FIBA World Championships in Turkey. That competition begins on August 28.

Jason’s Richardson’s influence isn’t limited to just the hardwood. Just ask the grateful residents of Saginaw, Mich.

J-Rich has been busy this offseason with a multitude of community projects aimed at giving back to his hometown. Between a food drive for needy Saginaw families, a golf classic benefitting the United Way and his motivational Man-Up forums, it’s of little wonder the Michigan State is finally getting some notoriety for his philanthropic endeavors.

As part of GQ’s “Better Men Better World Search,” here’s your chance to vote for J-Rich as “The Best Man.” After August 5, CLICK HERE to cast a ballot for the Suns’ starting shooting guard, who is aiming to become one of five finalists eligible for the top prize through fan voting. The contest honors men who are all about “the betterment of society through charitable work, volunteerism, and community involvement.”

CLICK HERE to see photos from the Michigan State alum’s busy stopover in Saginaw earlier this month, which includes exclusive images from his food drive, the Jason Richardson Golf Classic and his Man-Up Forum, with a special appearance from actor Chris Tucker.

Early Friday morning, four members of our dunk team and the Suns VP of Game Entertainment, Kip Helt, met at the US Airways Arena with quite the weekend ahead of us.  We were on our way to Vegas, with one goal in mind, to show USA Basketball, the NBA and the basketball fans of Las Vegas we are the finest entertainment crew in the NBA, and we also wanted to demonstrate how we are the most exciting dunk team in the NBA.

The drive to Vegas went quick, minus the slow driving through the Hoover Dam thanks to our driver who was overly excited to educate our van about “The Bridge” they have been building for the last five years.  Haha, just kidding Devin. We arrived at The Wynn around 1:30, and all we had to say was, WOW!!  The Wynn is a gorgeous hotel/casino.  After we checked in, we reported to rehearsal at the UNLV practice facility, the COX Pavilion, and we were welcomed by applause and a “Welcome Phoenix Dunk Team!!”  from NBA officials and representatives.  Our dunk rehearsals were in the gym where the NBA Summer League was held and where the USA Basketball Team practices.

After rehearsals, we walked the strip for a few hours, and got a bite to eat at First Food, great chicken, salmon and chicken parmesan lasagna!

Saturday was the day we were all looking forward to, and as we walked through the casino, rode in the elevators and worked out in the fitness room, USA and NBA Basketball players were everywhere!  Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green were signing autographs for kids in the casino, James Harden was working out with his trainer and Coach Jay Wright from Villanova was shaking hands with everyone.

We left The Wynn at 1:30pm for the Thomas and Mack Center and as soon as we arrived we were greeted with warm welcomes by everyone involved.  Our shoes, shorts and shirts were waiting for us in our locker room, and as soon as we suited up, we were out on the arena floor rehearsing contests, timeouts and then our two dunk shows.

The game started at 7:00pm. We kicked off the night by showering the crowd with free tee-shirts. Our first dunk show was a hit, and we came out firing and nailed a flip dunk off the start which got the crowd out of their seats and on their feet.  Our first dunk show was at the quarter break between the first and second quarter, and it was a quick one.

Our final dunk show came as the halftime entertainment for the crowd, and nobody got out of their seats to get food and refill their beers and sodas, they wanted to see more of the finest dunk team in the NBA.  We nailed flip dunks, alley-oops, 360’s, dunks off the backboard and as highlights, we moved the trampolines back three feet to stun the crowd as we soared through the air on our way to the rim and we also had the opportunity to dunk over a group of four brave soldiers.

The game ended as the White Team beat the Blue Team 114-96, and Kevin Durant was named MVP of the game.  We stuck around the arena for 45 minutes after the game taking pictures and thanking everyone from USA Basketball and the NBA.  We had a blast, and can’t wait for the opportunity to do something like this again.  Please enjoy the pictures, as we have taken them to document our journey, and share our experience with you!

Thanks NBA and USA Basketball, we all hope to be a part of this again!  And one more thing, GOOOO SUNS!!!

(Christian Petersen/NBAE/Getty Images)

It’s been a summer of change for the Suns, and that’s OK. Remember last summer, when then-general manager Steve Kerr shipped out Shaquille O’Neal for two guys (Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic) who would never suit up?

And things still worked out well for the little team that no one really expected to make the playoffs. Actually, things worked out great, as the Suns advanced all the way to the Western Conference finals on sheer resolve, not to mention the inspiring play of Steve Nash, Grant Hill and a bunch of youngsters off the bench.

Of course, Amare Stoudemire had plenty to do with that, and we all know he’s now a Knick. Good luck in the Big Apple, Amare. You will be missed.

And good luck to Kerr, whose reign as GM can now be considered a success. He is certain to be a winner in whatever venue he decides to pursue. (Right now, that’s TNT broadcasts of NBA games.)

But this is about the future, or at least the here and now. This is about the new-look Suns, who boast a new team president in Lon Babby — a former player agent who knows a little something about negotiations and wily roster maneuvering. Say what you will about Babby, but he’s not likely to overpay anyone.

This is also about old standbys such as Nash, Hill, Jason Richardson and constantly emerging big man Robin Lopez and backup guard Goran Dragic.

And this is about newcomers such as Hedo Turkoglu, Hakim Warrick and Josh Childress, who returned to the NBA after a two-year stint in Greece. One GM told me Childress could be the most underrated acquisition of the offseason, with Childress’ skills and athleticism making him a good fit for the Suns.

Of course, the same can be said for Turkoglu, especially if the Suns are getting the Turkoglu from two seasons ago in Orlando. One thing’s for certain: His ball-handling, passing and perimeter shooting skills seem to have been designed for Coach Alvin Gentry’s freewheeling offense.

“We can put the ball in his hands and take some of the pressure off Steve as far as making plays at the end of the game,” Gentry said at Turkoglu‘s introductory press conference.

It’s true that the Suns got a little older by making Turkoglu one of their main pieces. He’s 31, while Hill will be 38 when the season starts and Nash will be 36. But everyone else is either in their peak years or still getting there.

Another thing to consider is the Suns will remain one of the league’s most entertaining teams. They averaged a league-best 110 points per game last season and it’s hard to imagine that dropping off much. As long as Nash and Hill are around, the Suns are also likely to be highly competitive. Just like last season, the Suns are a solid combination of youth and Guys Who Have Been There.

I don’t know what Gentry has in store, and there’s no doubt I’m nowhere near as smart as the man, but I envision a starting lineup that looks like this:

Lopez at center, Turkoglu at power forward, Hill at small forward, Richardson at shooting guard and Nash at the point. Basically, the same as last season with Turkoglu in for Stoudemire.

Then, off the bench in the frontcourt are Channing Frye, Jared Dudley, Warrick, second-year man Earl Clark and rookie Gani Lawal.

In the backcourt, it’s Dragic and Childress — and the Suns may still yet pick up another guard, especially since Leandro Barbosa was dealt to Toronto in the Turkoglu deal. Zabian Dowdell, a free agent who spent the past three seasons overseas after a fine career at Virginia Tech, fared well for the Suns in summer play and may be a possibility.

But while the roster and the front office have undergone some changes, it should pretty much be more of the same for the Suns. Namely, a lot of engaging basketball and probably more wins than anyone expects.

SCHEDULE COMING SOON

The 2010-11 NBA schedule will be released sometime within the first two weeks of August, giving fans the chance to see when the likes of the Lakers, Celtics and suddenly suave Heat of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh are coming to town.

Just a guess here, but the Suns are likely to appear on national television quite a few times after last season’s trip to the conference finals.

Sam Amico has covered the NBA for more than a decade and is a frequent contributor to NBA.com and Suns.com. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/SamAmicoNBA.

I’ve taken in a week of the 2010 Las Vegas Summer League and after consulting with various members of esteemed front offices, life-long scouts and other basketball dignitaries, and I feel quite comfortable in ignoring all of their insight and offering my own analysis to you instead. So without further ado, here’s the team’s report card for the week:

Taylor Griffin: When the Suns drafted Griffin out of Oklahoma, they knew he was a power forward, but were hoping that his incredible athleticism would allow him to adjust to becoming a perimeter player. Griffin, who is such a physical force that Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops tried to recruit him to his football team, seemed much more comfortable playing around the basket then he did from the outside. Griffin never scored more than seven points in a game this week, shooting 7-of-30 from the field for the entire summer league.

Gani Lawal: The Suns’ second-round pick out of Georgia Tech was only the Suns’ leading scorer, rebounder, shotblocker, while also shooting 50 percent from the floor during the entire summer league. One talent evaluator remarked that he can’t shoot a lick, but that it didn’t matter, because “he doesn’t need it anyway.” Lawal was all over the court this week, playing with boundless energy. Suns fans will see a lot of Louis Amundson in Lawal’s game. I’ve already praised him enough in this article.

Earl Clark: The Suns’ 2009 first-round draft pick started slowly this week, but picked up his play as the week continued, culminating in a double-double (14 points and 10 rebounds) in his final game of summer league. Clark saw more time at the small forward than the power forward this week, but never had that “wow” game we were all expecting to see after catching glimpses in practice last season. His numbers of 14.8 points and 5.0 rebounds were solid, but his 35 percent shooting left a lot on the table.

Matt Janning: The undrafted rookie out of Northeastern has apparently become a fan favorite, because I keep receiving non-stop e-mails about him throughout the day. The coaching staff has been impressed with Janning’s basketball IQ and range. After a slow start, Janning exploded against the Cavs, shooting 9-of-14 from the floor and 2-of-3 from downtown to finish with 22 points. No Suns player totaled more than that output in a game the entire week. As well as Janning played offensively, he struggled at times on the defensive end against more physical players. Janning was one of Majerle’s two favorite players for the week.

Zabian Dowdell: Of all the Suns players, no one seemed more at ease at finding his own shot than Dowdell. The lefty playmaker from Virginia Tech is a true shoot-first point guard who averaged 9.2 points and 3.8 assists for the week. With Scottie Reynolds earning more playing time as the week wore on, Dowdell’s production dipped a bit. But after a solid showing for the second consecutive year in Las Vegas, Dowdell should generate interest from an NBA or European club looking to invite him into camp.

Scottie Reynolds: After missing the first two games of summer league because of a strained Achilles, Reynolds displayed unquestionable grit in coming back to play in summer league. Keep in mind that every team was here scouting and the last thing a rookie wants to do is to have a poor performance and cry injury afterwards. Reynolds, who wasn’t supposed to play in summer league, was the difference in the Suns’ first win of summer league, connecting on 4-of-6 shots from the floor, 2-of-2 from three-point land and 6-of-6 from the free throw line to score 16 points. The Villanova All-American followed that up by registering nine assists in 24 minutes the next game against the Cavs. His basketball acumen, ability to manage a game and solid shooting could make him a valuable asset on an NBA roster.

Shaun Pruitt, Marcus Johnson, Gavin Edwards and Lawrence Hill were all players that were in the Suns’ rotation throughout the week. All of them showed strengths and abilities that could prove helpful on an NBA roster, but they also have weaknesses that scouts and coaches would like to see them improve upon.

Unfortunately, I didn’t really get to see enough of Anton Ponkrashov, who played for the Russian National Team, or Ryan Toolson, a prolific college scorer that grew up in Gilbert, to make a judgment on either one of them.

Dwayne Collins, the Suns’ other second-round pick out of Miami, missed summer league with an injured knee. “Mr. Irrelevant” was the best interview at summer league, sporting Mickey Mouse sneakers at one point. Known as “Manster” for being half-man, half-monster, we eagerly look forward to watching him work out this summer.

Final Note: The Suns shot just 40 percent, including 2-of-10 from behind the arc as they dropped an 86-76 decision to the Warriors. Zabian Dowdell shot 7-of-10 to total 18 points and five assists, while Earl Clark added 14 points and 10 rebounds. Gani Lawal collected 14 points, seven rebounds and two blocks for the Suns, who finished summer league 1-4.