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"We're obviously going to have to upgrade our talent," Gentry said. "We have to continue to get improvement out of our young players like Markieff (Morris). I think Jared Dudley has made improvements. We have to get Robin (Lopez) to the point where he's consistently playing (well). I don't think we're a championship team. But I definitely think with the addition of a couple of guys here and there in free agency, we can get back in the mix and be a factor, for sure." Arizona Republic

Phoenix Suns, Free Agency, Jared Dudley, Robin Lopez, Alvin Gentry, Markieff Morris 

"I feel good about it," coach Alvin Gentry said about retaining Nash. "We just need a player we can throw the ball to at the end of the game, who can get to the foul line, get us a basket or make the right play. "I think it's a little unfair for me to ask Steve Nash to do that night in and night out, not just for 66 games, but for 82 games next year. If we're fortunate enough to have Steve back, and we're going to do everything we possibly can to do that, I just think he needs some help." Arizona Republic

Phoenix Suns, Free Agency, Steve Nash, Alvin Gentry 

Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin’s work is drawing notice. Suns coach Alvin Gentry said he spoke pregame with Corbin, and the Phoenix head man’s impressed with what Utah’s second-year coach has pulled off during a tough lockout season. Entering Tuesday, the Jazz had gone 19-12 since Feb. 28, weathering the loss of several key role players. "He did a great job of turning this thing [around] and winning games and getting them in a situation where they’ve got a chance to make the playoffs just like we do," Gentry said. Salt Lake Tribune

Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, Coaching, Alvin Gentry, Tyrone Corbin 

Paul Coro: OKC Coach Scott Brooks said Alvin Gentry is his pick for NBA Coach of the Year. Twitter

Oklahoma City Thunder, Phoenix Suns, Coaching, Scott Brooks, Alvin Gentry 

Jeff McDonald: Alvin Gentry, on Suns' problems defending Duncan: "You have to actually guard him. You have to be somewhere in the area he is in." Twitter

Phoenix Suns, San Antonio Spurs, Tim Duncan, Alvin Gentry 

In spite of the Suns’ relative success — “We’ve overachieved thus far, frankly,” Steve Nash said Friday — the vibe in Phoenix is Alvin Gentry might not be rehired when his contract expires at season’s end. New York Post

Phoenix Suns, Coaching, Alvin Gentry 

Alvin Gentry: Great job to Lebron and the Miami Heat for their support and stand on the death Trayvon and the search for justice. Twitter

Miami Heat, Phoenix Suns, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Alvin Gentry 

In a season where practice time is already at a premium because of the lockout, big changes are nearly impossible. "You honor and understand what the (former) head coach is trying to do, but there's always things in the back of your mind that you want to do different. But you never have the time to implement those things during the season," said Suns coach Alvin Gentry, who has started three of his four NBA head coaching jobs as the interim guy. NBA.com

Phoenix Suns, Coaching, Alvin Gentry 

Gentry is coaching one of those teams this year, the Phoenix Suns. It's not a very good team and because Steve Nash and Hill are so old, he doesn't always play them when the team plays back to back. The Suns begin a road trip Sunday in San Antonio, move on to Chicago, New York, Boston and Dallas before being declared dead. Gentry laughs; he knows dead. He was the Clippers' head coach in 2000, and buried before the end of his third season. Nice guys, though, don't always finish last. "I got every dime [Donald Sterling] owed me," he says. Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Coaching, Alvin Gentry 

He was up against it Tuesday with the Lakers, but speaking of dead men walking, that's how the Lakers looked after two preseason encounters with the Clippers. And Gentry took notice. "The Lakers are not dead, but they do realize they have a force to be reckoned with in the Clippers,'' Gentry says. "This isn't a three- or four-game thing and then everything goes back to normal. "The Clippers are very capable of going deep into the playoffs. I know people want them to go [sky high] and right away, but it's difficult to do it so fast. "But with Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups and Blake Griffin, they have a chance to do something really special." Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Coaching, Alvin Gentry 

He's also a little off-kilter, which adds to the appeal. The other day the Suns won and he began his news conference talking Tebow. How refreshing is that? He just loves the guy; Kobe Bryant as well. Figure that one out. "I love an athlete who goes beyond the call of duty to maximize his talent; that's why I have such admiration for Kobe," he says, a few hours before Bryant scored 17 of the Lakers' first 25 points in the game. "People talk about Kobe not being the same athlete because he's played so many games, but he's always going to come back from the off-season with something that can compensate for what he's lost athletically." Yet he doesn't have Kobe winning another ring this year. "After what happened to LeBron last season," he says, "I would be shocked if they don't win the championship." Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Kobe Bryant, Alvin Gentry 

Michael Redd signed with the Suns back on Dec. 29, and at the time, the message was clear that there would be no rush in getting him to the court. But after 10 days of workouts with the team, it appears that his time is almost here. “I think he’s almost to the point where we can stick him in a game and play him a few minutes and kind of let him get acclimated to what we’re doing,” said Suns head coach Alvin Gentry, before Phoenix easily took care of the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. “Maybe even Thursday or Friday, we may just have an opportunity to stick him in and see. We’ll just have to see what happens with him in the next couple of days, see how he’s feeling. But I think he’s getting close to wanting to have some game action and see where he is.” NBCSports.com

Phoenix Suns, Michael Redd, Alvin Gentry 

Alvin Gentry: Very excited about Michael Redd joining the team. Great offensive weapon. He will be a welcome addition. Twitter

Phoenix Suns, Michael Redd, Alvin Gentry 

"He was really our kind of player -- a big guy who can shoot," Suns Coach Alvin Gentry said. "In order for it to be a good fit, you've got to want to be here and I'm not sure he was every fully engaged about being here." Arizona Republic

Boston Celtics, Phoenix Suns, Free Agency, Mickael Pietrus, Alvin Gentry 

Jonathan Rinehart: Suns added NBA coaching veteran Elston Turner (14 yrs as assistant) to Alvin Gentry's staff. He's a TN native & former Ole Miss great too! Twitter

Phoenix Suns, Coaching, Alvin Gentry, Elston Turner 

Suns coach Alvin Gentry picked the man who he nearly worked for to now work for him. Gentry confirmed his selection of Elston Turner, a head coach finalist for Phoenix in 2008, as his new defensive assistant coach, a choice that became apparent last week with Jim Boylan re-signing with Milwaukee, Don Newman opting to stay in San Antonio and Pete Myers taking a job with Golden State. No other candidate had been offered the "defensive coordinator" job, although talks with Boylan also had progressed. Turner was favored all along for how well he would fit with the Suns on two fronts -- as a defensive coach on offensively driven teams and with a personality that will not ruffle a coaching staff that already has Bill Cartwright, Dan Majerle, Igor Kokoskov and Noel Gillespie in place. Arizona Republic

Phoenix Suns, Coaching, Alvin Gentry, Elston Turner 

Alvin Gentry, who has been the Suns' head coach for 2½ seasons after joining the team in 2004 as an assistant coach, complimented Welts, saying the fact he is gay is beside the point. "I had a feeling about it," Gentry told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard when asked if he knew Welts was gay. "To me, what does it matter? I know he's great at his job; he's very organized and he does a brilliant job. To me, [his sexuality] is irrelevant. "I'm happy for Rick because I think it takes a ton of weight off his shoulders," Gentry added. "I'm glad for him because it puts him in a more relaxed state. Do I look at him any differently or judge him any differently? Not in a million years. I've dealt with Rick for the last seven years and he's a great CEO and a great person.'' ESPN.com

Phoenix Suns, Alvin Gentry, Rick Welts 

Alvin Gentry: really disappointed that G Hill did not make the all defensive team. no one eas ask to do more or guard multiple positions like he was. Twitter

Phoenix Suns, Grant Hill, Alvin Gentry 

Steve Aschburner: PHX coach Alvin Gentry calls Derrick Rose "runaway MVP." Says if he were Grant Hill, he'd be ticked at him (Gentry) for mkng him guard Rose. Twitter

Phoenix Suns, Derrick Rose, Grant Hill, Alvin Gentry 

Gentry is not with the vast majority that Clippers power forward Blake Griffin should be Rookie of the Year. And it's only because he does not consider him a rookie. Griffin was drafted first overall in 2009 by the Clippers and played a full preseason before breaking his kneecap and missing the entire regular season. This season, he is considered a Rookie of the Year lock with more than 22 points and 12 rebounds per game. "The guy is a great player, don't get me wrong," Gentry said. "But he has had a year in the NBA. He's had a year of being around practice. He could be MVP before he was Rookie of the Year. He's a great, great player. That's not anything against him. But as a rookie, it needs to be kind of pure. He's a redshirt Rookie of the Year." Arizona Republic

Los Angeles Clippers, Blake Griffin, Alvin Gentry