2011–12 Phoenix Suns season

2011–12 Phoenix Suns season
Head coach Alvin Gentry
General manager Lance Blanks
Owner(s) Robert Sarver
Arena US Airways Center
Results
Record 33–33 (.500)
Place Division: 3rd (Pacific)
Conference: 10th (Western)
Playoff finish Did not qualify

Stats @ Basketball-Reference.com

Local media
Television Fox Sports Arizona
Radio KTAR

The 2011–12 Phoenix Suns season was the 44th season of the franchise in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as well as the last season the Suns had point guard Steve Nash on the team. The season was shortened to sixty-six games due to the 2011 NBA Lockout. Going into the All-Star break with a 14–20 record, the Suns went 14–6 in their next 20 games to push back into playoffs contention. Towards the end of the season, the eighth-seeded Suns were still in the hunt, but a loss after their second-to-last game on the road against the Utah Jazz eliminated them from playoff contention. They went 8–7 in April, finishing the season with a 33–33 record, 10th-best in the West.

Nash led the team in assists per game (10.7; second-best average in the league, most assists in total), three-point percentage (.390%), and free throw percentage (.894%), while averaging a career-high in field goal percentage (.532%). Center Marcin Gortat led the team in most statistical categories, including games played (66), games started (66), minutes per game (32.0), field goal percentage (.555%), rebounds per game (10.0), blocks per game (1.5), and points per game (15.4). Nash was the lone member of the Suns selected for the 2012 NBA All-Star Game, his eighth appearance. In a game against the Denver Nuggets on April 21, Nash passed Oscar Robertson for fifth all-time in total assists.

Key dates

Offseason

NBA Draft

Main article: 2011 NBA draft
Round Pick Player Position Nationality College
1 13 Markieff Morris Forward  United States Kansas

The Suns used their only draft pick to select power forward Markieff Morris from Kansas. Morris averaged 13.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in his last year with the Jayhawks.[3] The Suns traded their other first-round pick, which they acquired from the Orlando Magic, to the Houston Rockets when they dealt Goran Dragić for Aaron Brooks.[4] Their second-round pick was traded to the Chicago Bulls for Hakim Warrick in a sign and trade.[5] Around a year and a half later, the Suns ended up with the 14th draft pick in Marcus Morris, who would be a part of the team for two or so seasons before being traded himself in 2015.

Free agency

Veteran forward Grant Hill became an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2010–11 season. Newly acquired point guard Aaron Brooks became a restricted free agent at the end of the season. On June 23, the Suns extended a $3 million qualifying offer to Brooks.[6] However, due to the lockout, Brooks signed a contract with the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association on November 22. With no opt-out clause, Brooks had to complete the CBA season before returning to the NBA. On February 6, 2011, reserve point guard Zabian Dowdell was signed for the remainder of the 2010–11 season, with a team option for a second year. If the Suns do not opt to pick up the contract, Dowdell will become a free agent.[7]

Coaching changes

On July 14, the Suns signed Elston Turner as an assistant coach. Turner is considered to be a defensive specialist and has been called the Suns' unofficial "defensive coordinator".[8]

Roster

2011–12 Phoenix Suns roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Height Weight DOB (YYYY–MM–DD) From
G 26 Brown, Shannon 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1985–11–29 Michigan State
G/F 1 Childress, Josh 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 209 lb (95 kg) 1983–06–20 Stanford
G/F 3 Dudley, Jared 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1985–07–10 Boston C
F/C 8 Frye, Channing 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1983–05–17 Arizona
C 4 Gortat, Marcin 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 240 lb (109 kg) 1984–02–17 Poland
F 33 Hill, Grant (C) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1972–10–05 Duke
C 15 Lopez, Robin 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 255 lb (116 kg) 1988–04–01 Stanford
F 11 Morris, Markieff 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg) 1989–09–02 Kansas
G 13 Nash, Steve (C) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 178 lb (81 kg) 1974–02–07 Santa Clara
G 2 Price, Ronnie 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1984–06–21 Utah Valley State
G 22 Redd, Michael 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1979–08–24 Ohio State
G 31 Telfair, Sebastian 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1985–06–09 Abraham Lincoln HS (Brooklyn, New York)
F 21 Warrick, Hakim 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 219 lb (99 kg) 1982–07–08 Syracuse
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

Salaries

The final year of Vince Carter's contract was non-guaranteed. Carter's contract stipulated that if he was not waived by the Suns before the start of free agency on July 1, his $18 million would become fully guaranteed. However, with the onset of the lockout, the Suns delayed the deadline until the date on which free agency began at the end of the lockout. If waived, he will receive a guaranteed $4 million.[9] The second-year contracts of Gani Lawal and Garret Siler were non-guaranteed.[10]

Preseason

2011 pre-season game log
Pre-season: 0–2 (Home: 0–1; Road: 0–1)
2011–12 season schedule

Regular season

Standings

Pacific Division W L PCT GB Home Road Div GP
y-Los Angeles Lakers 41 25 .621 0.0 26–7 15–18 9–5 66
x-Los Angeles Clippers 40 26 .606 1.0 24–9 16–17 7–7 66
Phoenix Suns 33 33 .500 8.0 19–14 14–19 9–5 66
Golden State Warriors 23 43 .348 18.0 12–21 11–22 7–8 66
Sacramento Kings 22 44 .333 19.0 16–17 6–27 3–10 66
Western Conference
# Team W L PCT GB GP
1 c-San Antonio Spurs * 50 16 .758 – 66
2 y-Oklahoma City Thunder * 47 19 .712 3.0 66
3 y-Los Angeles Lakers * 41 25 .621 9.0 66
4 x-Memphis Grizzlies 41 25 .621 9.0 66
5 x-Los Angeles Clippers 40 26 .606 10.0 66
6 x-Denver Nuggets 38 28 .576 12.0 66
7 x-Dallas Mavericks 36 30 .545 14.0 66
8 x-Utah Jazz 36 30 .545 14.0 66
9 Houston Rockets 34 32 .515 16.0 66
10 Phoenix Suns 33 33 .500 17.0 66
11 Portland Trail Blazers 28 38 .424 22.0 66
12 Minnesota Timberwolves 26 40 .394 24.0 66
13 Golden State Warriors 23 43 .348 27.0 66
14 Sacramento Kings 22 44 .333 28.0 66
15 New Orleans Hornets 21 45 .318 29.0 66

Game log

All games from November 1 through December 24 were canceled due to the 2011 NBA Lockout. A new schedule was created with games starting in December 25.

2011–12 game log
Total: 33–33 (Home: 19–14; Road: 14–19)
December: 1–3 (Home: 0–2; Road: 1–1)
January: 6–10 (Home: 4–4; Road: 2–6)
February: 7–7 (Home: 3–3; Road: 4–4)
March: 11–6 (Home: 8–2; Road: 3–4)
April: 8–7 (Home: 4–3; Road: 4–4)
2011–12 season schedule

Player statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game

Season

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3FG% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Shannon Brown 59 19 23.7 .420 .362 .808 2.7 1.2 .7 .3 11.0
Josh Childress 34 0 14.4 .485 .167 .000 2.8 1.0 .4 .2 2.9
Jared Dudley 65 60 31.1 .485 .383 .726 4.6 1.7 .8 .3 12.7
Channing Frye 64 59 26.1 .416 .346 .890 5.9 1.4 .7 1.1 10.5
Marcin Gortat 66 66 32.0 .555 .000 .649 10.0 0.9 .7 1.5 15.4
Grant Hill 49 46 28.1 .446 .264 .761 3.5 2.2 .8 .6 10.2
Robin Lopez 64 0 14.0 .461 .000 .714 3.3 0.3 .3 .9 5.4
Markieff Morris 63 7 19.5 .399 .347 .717 4.4 1.0 .7 .7 7.4
Steve Nash 62 62 31.6 .532 .390 .894 3.0 10.7 .6 .1 12.5
Ronnie Price 36 8 14.4 .377 .295 .800 1.6 1.9 .9 .1 3.6
Michael Redd 51 2 15.1 .400 .318 .793 1.5 0.6 .3 .0 8.2
Sebastian Telfair 60 1 14.9 .412 .314 .791 1.5 2.3 .7 .2 6.1
Hakim Warrick 35 0 14.4 .411 .100 .768 2.6 0.9 .2 .1 6.4

Awards, records and milestones

Awards

All-Star

Records

Team Records

Milestones

Team Milestones

Injuries/Missed games

Transactions

Free agents

Additions

Player Signed Former Team
Sebastian Telfair Signed a 1-year deal that was worth $1.5 Million. Minnesota Timberwolves
Shannon Brown Signed a 1-year deal that was worth $3.5 Million. Los Angeles Lakers
Grant Hill Signed a 1-year deal that was worth $6.5 Million. Phoenix Suns
Ronnie Price Signed a 1-year deal that was worth $854,389. Utah Jazz
Michael Redd Signed a 1-year deal that was worth $1.3 Million.a[›] Milwaukee Bucks

^ a: Michael Redd signed onto the team two games after the beginning of the 2011–12 season. However, he didn't start playing until January 12, 2012 due to Redd fully recovering from some knee injuries during his last two seasons in Milwaukee.

Subtractions

Player Reason Left New Team
Aaron Brooks Lockout Concerns China Guangdong Winnerway (Hongyuan) Southern Tigers
Gani Lawal Lockout Concerns / Waivedb[›] Poland Zastal Zielona Góra / San Antonio Spurs / China Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers / France Chorale Roanne Basket
Vince Carter Waivedc[›] Dallas Mavericks
Zabian Dowdell Waived Turkey Anadolu Efes Pilsen Spor Kulübü / Spain Club Baloncesto Gran Canaria – Claret, S.A.D.d[›][11]
Mickaël Piétrus Waivede[›] Boston Celtics
Garret Siler Waivedf[›] China Jiangsu Nangang Dragonsg[›][12]

^ b: Gani Lawal originally left due to the 2011 NBA lockout in concerns of playing the season. He signed with Zastal Zielona Góra in Poland before returning to Phoenix once the lockout ended. However, Gani was waived by the team alongside Vince Carter once the season began, and he tried a stint with the San Antonio Spurs for their training camp before being waived again. He later found a new team in the Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers, but due to personal problems, he returned to playing with Zastal once more before finishing his season with Chorale Roanne Basket in France.
^ c: Vince Carter was paid $4 million in order to get out of his contract with the Suns.
^ d: Zabian Dowdell originally signed a deal to play with Anadolu Efes Pilsen Spor Kulübü in Turkey on January 18, 2012. However, due to a failed physical, he would be waived from the team before even having a change to play for them. He would then play with Club Baloncesto Gran Canaria – Claret, S.A.D. on March 17, 2016 after passing their own physical exam.
^ e: Mickaël Piétrus was paid $1.2 million in order to get out of his contract with the Suns.
^ f: Garret Siler was waived after the January 2 game against the Golden State Warriors. He didn't play a single game with the Phoenix Suns in the regular season.
^ g: Garret Siler signed with the Jiangsu Nangang Dragons of the Chinese Basketball Association quite some time after this season ended.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Report: NBA draft moving to Newark". ESPN.com. October 27, 2010. Archived from the original on 30 October 2010. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
  2. ↑ "League locks out players until new collective bargaining agreement is reached – ESPN". ESPN.com. July 1, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Markieff Morris NBA & ABA Statistics". basketball-reference.com. July 19, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Phoenix Suns trade Goran Dragic, pick for Rockets' Aaron Brooks". wearesuns.com. February 24, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Bulls sign-and-trade Hakim Warrick to Suns". insidehoops.com. July 9, 2010. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Suns extend qualifying offer to Aaron Brooks". nbasports.com. October 27, 2010. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Phoenix Suns Salaries". July 20, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Elston Turner, the new defensive coordinator for the Phoenix Suns". ESPN.com. July 14, 2010. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Suns delay Vince Carter contract deadline, extend qualifying offer to Aaron Brooks". azcentral.com. June 23, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  10. ↑ "Phoenix Suns Team Salary – NBA News & NBA Rumors". hoopsworld.com. July 19, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  11. ↑ Zabian Dowdell Agrees To Terms With Gran Canaria
  12. ↑ http://www2.wjbf.com/sports/2012/oct/17/siler-play-china-again-ar-4777515/
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