By RANDY HILL
FOXSportsArizona.com
March 7, 2011
If you thought the Phoenix Suns delivered great theater on the road, you'll love the potential for compelling drama now that they're home.
The first order of business is determining how to replace Channing Frye, the cold-blooded hero of two overtime victories last week and the co-victim of a friendly fire head butt in Boston. Frye was working on his single-game career high in rebounds (15) Sunday night at Oklahoma City when the great Kevin Durant swatted him across the shooting arm on a scoring attempt near the Thunder basket. The play ended with a dislocated shoulder for Frye and no foul for Durant. Frye is expected to miss two to three weeks.
"It's super sore right now," Frye said after the game Sunday, "but, for me, it's more about the team, and I'm just mad I couldn't go out there and help them in that situation."
It was that kind of six-game journey for the Suns, who finished 4-2 and still trail the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies by 2 games in the scrum for Western Conference playoff survival.
The injury's timing is significant both because of the critical stakes of every
game, and because Frye was playing his best basketball of the season -
averaging 15.6 points and 8.1 rebounds over the past month, during
which the Suns were 9-4.
Hakim Warrick is a likely replacement in the starting lineup, but at crunch time, it wouldn't be a big shock to see Alvin Gentry mix and match with smaller options that include Mikael Pietrus, Jared Dudley and even Josh Childress.
On Tuesday, the Rockets hit Phoenix in a showdown that offers a little irony and intrigue, along with the importance of every game now that the 32-29 Suns have hit the regular season's gun lap. In addition to making their semi-triumphant return from the road, the Suns will introduce newly acquired backup point guard Aaron Brooks to the home fans.
And Brooks, who has given the Suns 8.8 points
